Changing World
by Alphathewolf
Summary: It's been a year since the infection started. Things are calming down, both on the humans and infected sides. Warnings: Mature Language, Sexual Situations, Violence, and Slash
1. Introductions

He stood there in, the room. Almost as if the infection had never happened. He looked up at me and grinned. His red eyes seemed to glow in the dark. I kept my pistol pointed at him and stepped into the room. This hunter almost seemed human. I slowly lowered the pistol. " Why haven't you attacked me?" My voice was hallow, but I was scared shitless. A hunter, acting almost human? This was not happening.

This zombie apocalypse hell had been going on for almost a year. Grass and trees were starting to grow out of the pavement. The military had stopped picking up people and bombing cities a few months ago. We had finally hit the maximum. The world was a different place, it would never be going back to the way it was. Survivors were making out their own places and were learning to live among the infected. Some had learned how to build above the infected, others had just taken a building, upped its security and protection, and bam went out with shotguns when they needed food or something. Heck I hear some immune were even thinking of eating zombie flesh if there was a shortage of food. Gross? Just a little.

The world was finally calming down. Actually I was one of the last few out running around by themselves in this world. The infected seemed less violent when I walked down the street, less of them, but the specials, something was happening to them. Some of the witches stopped crying. Some of them didn't even walk in the day, they just sat there. A few tanks I seen no longer chased after me. They just kept doing what ever it was they were doing. I was confused by this but it made sense. The world was going nuts right after it all happened. A year later, things are changing.

For the good or bad we don't know yet. If there was a car being use now it was definitely solar powered as most of the gas was gone. Same went for power. Cities were dark, absolutely dark at night. Wildlife now walked down avenues and on the highway. Actually some wildlife species were extinct because of the first few months of the infection.

I was even more astonished when we got television back in some parts. The people out in space had watched as our world died. They were starving but a group of scientists who had lived were said to be getting ready to launch a shuttle to go get them. I found this out when I stayed temporarily at a small survivor village outside of Pittsburgh,PA. I was thinking of going home then, but I heard what of West Virginia didn't get over run was mostly in hiding and dangerous.

Now back to the situation at hand. I was about a three days walk out of Pittsburgh in some small town. I was resting in a small house, abandoned and boarded up, near the inside of a town. Ammo, guns, health, pills, even food was available. I was shocked that it was empty, till I found the writing on the walls. The house used to be a safe house in the beginning of the infection. I had found a sleeping bag in a closet and had fallen asleep, obviously I closed the closet door.

It must have been hours later. I was awoken by a growl in the house. I waited for a while, thinking the owner of the growl had left before I decided to investigate. Upon leaving the closet I had searched the house top to bottom. I hadn't found anything or a sign of break-in till I reached the room with the writing in it. That was where I saw him. I aimed my gun at him. He just stood there. He looked up and grinned at me. I seen hope dance in his red eyes. I slowly lowered my pistol. " Why haven't you attacked me?" I tried to keep my voice hollow and clear. I failed tho, this scared me shitless. The hunter put up a hand and moved it slowly left and right. Almost like a wave. I was so nervous and high strung I smiled a shaky smile and waved back with my left hand keeping the gun in my right.

Finally the hunter moved and pointed at a place on the wall to my right. I glanced over but kept my gun on him. The writing on the wall seemed to be done in black ink. " Mom, I don't know if you are ahead or behind me, we got separated. I hope you are okay, one of those weird people bit me. I feel odd but I think I'm okay. I'm going to try and make it to the bus station." I glance back over at him. I pointed at the writing. " Did you write this?" My voice was stronger now. The hunter slowly nodded. I finally put the gun back in it's holster. I sighed and took in a deep breath. " Well, I guess since your not talking, but are moving your hands around and not attacking me, you must be friendly." He nodded. I smiled and laughed a little. " Good because if not I was going to ask you to end me quickly." I watched as he lowered the hood a little so I couldn't see his eyes..

Finally I sat down on the floor with my legs out in front of me, he followed shortly after and took a seat too. I smirked as he sat Indian style. It was so predictable. " So, how old are you?" I started my questioning and interrogation. He seemed to think for a few minutes. Finally be reached out and scratched something in the concrete floor, 81. Since it was facing him I guess that meant he was 18. A young age to be turned into a creature. I sighed and lazed back stretching my legs out. " Ya know, I was 17 when this all hit. Actually it was just a bit after my birthday." I sighed. " Happy fucking birthday, a zombie apocalypse." I rolled onto my side and looked over at him. The hunter seemed to be on his side now as he listened. " My parents weren't infected when it hit. Tho I told them I wanted a shotgun and bullets and that I was leaving. I took some money, gave them my wishes, love, and some advice on how to survive from a video game that came out. I have no idea if they, or if our pets are still alive. Actually I was to be going home, but I hear it's overrun down there so I decided to head toward a bigger city." I shook my head and sighed again. " I'm ranting and raving about my family. I bet you've had it worse, people shooting at you, limited food sources, and nobody to talk to." I shook my head and glanced back over at him. He seemed to be drawing circles in the concrete. "I'd ask you how you became this or what happened, but I have no idea how I will be able to understand your answers." The hunter tried to cock his head but it didn't really work laying on his side. I gave him a few minutes to think about it. Finally he shrugged his shoulders and drew into the concrete. I raised up a little to see what it said, "aedi oN." I slowly turned it around by tracing it backwards in the concrete myself. "No idea?" I finally asked him. I watched as he slowly nodded. I started to chuckle. " You have no idea yet you wrote no idea into the concrete?" The hunter seemed to freeze at my words and think about it for a second.

Finally his hand moved toward his face, with his claws wide open. "Betcha feel stupid now huh?" I asked him teasingly. My only response was a growl. " So whats your name? The first question in everyone's book, I had to be obvious and normal huh? I heard the scratches in the concrete. I leaned up again and looked down at what he wrote,"hsoJ." I raised an eyebrow at this. " Josh? Really? Okay, names Steve, nice to meet ya." I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. "Josh, ya know what, I'm tired. It ya promise to watch out for any baddies, I'm gonna get some shut eye." I yawned to accent my point. I heard a short growl I took to mean he accepted our deal. Slowly I fell into an uncomfortable, uneasy sleep.


	2. The Decision

I blinked slowly. The room was still dark and quiet. Well quiet except for the sounds of sleeping. I stretched my arms and sat up. A yawn escaped my mouth. I glanced over and noticed the hunter from last night hunched into a little ball with his back against a wall. I pushed myself up. I heard a low growl come from the corner where he was located. I smirked. " Good morning to you too. I'm going to be off in a bit, want to come with me?" My voice was filled with morning tiredness, but after a year of being on the run I had learned how to not have breakfast and wake up on my own. I continued stretching my arms and walked out of the room heading for the kitchen, not waiting for an answer.

The night before I had found some canned foods that looked edible. So yeah I could live without breakfast, but really do you think I could pass up on this? I found the kitchen easily but food was an issue. Not everything there was, tasty Even tho there was a zombie apocalypse going on I was still a picky eater. I pushed through some cans in one of the cabinets on the wall.

" Ah look what I found! Ravioli, just what I don't want." Like I said picky, but not stupid. I hadn't eaten for the last two days, and I needed the energy so I sucked up my courage and opened the can. I leaned back against the wall and ate my meal. My mind wandered back to my family. I had mentioned last night to the hunter that it was supposedly over run down there and that I couldn't go home. I hated where my wishful thinking there was going on in my mind was going, but I knew I had to do it. I knew I had to go home and check on my family.

I heard a growl. Instead of getting out my gun and being ready to shoot I stayed calm and kept eating. The hunter Josh, crawled into the room on all fours like an animal. I smiled at him and waved. "Good morning sleepy head." My voice was about as cheerful it could get while being uneasy. Even tho I had slept in the same room as him and trust him, it didn't help that he was a hunter.

Hunters had evolved and changed throughout the infection. From being almost normal, to boils all over the skin. Then the boils went away. It was almost as if they had caught a rash temporarily. Then their skin started to change again from the gray it had been to a grayish tan. The hunter I was looking at had went through a lot with his species. He also had a new hoodie and his teeth weren't stained red as much as other hunters. The duct tape was still there but it was looser, as if it was to help him jump but not cut off circulation. It also seemed the hunters in general had regained a part of them that witches and tanks may never get back.

I heard stories that some of the special infected were remembering before they changed and were trying to change because of it. That instead of hunting humans, some of them hunted the exploding wildlife populations. I sighed deeply and smiled at the hun... Josh. "Your company has been appreciated, but I've got to be going. I decided to head south and go home. Gotta see if the folks made it out alive." Josh turned and looked at me, or well the best he could with that hood over his eyes.

I heard a small growl come from him. I stepped over to a trashcan with rusty cans inside it and dropped my empty ravioli can inside to join them. I don't know why, but I took that growl to mean no. I ran my hand along the back of my neck as I turned back around to face him. "Josh, I'd love to stay, you've been a brilliant host and cool company, but I need to know if my family lived. It's bugging me. If you want ya can join me." I shrugged my shoulder and kept rubbing the back of my neck.

You know the moment when you are just too embarrassed to say something? Imagine trying to say it to a creature who could kill you in seconds if they decided to. I chuckled lightly at the thought. "Know what I'm going to go before I finally just lose my mind completely. A year of being on the road alone with the rare survivor... not good on the mind." With that very happy speech I pulled out my pistol and headed out. Leaving Josh a little confused.

As soon as I was outside of the house I passed a few mindless infected who paid me no heed. I kept walking, hoping none of them realized my scent wasn't exactly infected. I made it to the gas station a block away before I had to do any fighting and shooting. A few quick pistol shots to the infected inside the store and I was done. I looked around for a bit, the coolers had some sodas that were warm along with some sodas who acid had eroded away the plastic leading them to spilled down into the cooler. I also found the isle with tape and other junk also mostly stocked. I smirked as I seen a few rolls of duct tape untouched.

The hunters had the right idea. They were able to run and become more agile with their limbs taped up. I picked up a roll of tape and blew off the dust before I tore off the plastic covering. I put the tape around my arms and legs snugly before putting it around my waist too. I glanced around again looking for anything else I could use. Deciding that I was ready I took off at a sprint out of the store.

When the apocalypse had started I had been chubby male, weighting around 250 pounds. After a year of literally doing nothing but running I had built up my stamina and gained more muscle with less fat. My rather long brown, curly hair, bounced into my eyes a little, I reached up and pushed it out of my eyes. I headed down the street beside the gas station toward what looked to be a creek at the bottom of the hill. I noticed at the bottom there were a pair of train tracks and a bus depot on the other side the tracks. Maybe I could find a ride out at the bus depot.

My sprint toward the bus depot was interrupted by hunter howl. I kept running not wanting to see if it was Josh or another hunter. I felt the urge to duck, I listened and ducked into a roll. I felt something sail right over where I had been running. I kicked up with my feet as I completed the roll and kept running. " Tried to attack me, not friendly!" I yelled to the air behind me.

I heard another howl, this time I knew he was going to expect me to roll so I did the opposite. When the instinct came to duck I jumped. The hunter sailed below me, missing once again. As I came back down I tucked into a roll and popped back up like before. " Fuck off you psycho hunter!" Was I scared? Hell yeah, I'm not immune. I've just been lucky enough to kill them before they could get close enough before. I glanced up, the railroad tracks and bus deport seemed like heaven now. I pulled out my pistol and flipped the safety off as I ran. " Try me now bastard!" I yelled at the hunter.

I felt as if he was on my left. I hap haphazardly glanced over and shot at where I thought he was. I heard a screech of pain. " I warned you!" I yelled at him. My blood was pumping through my veins now. I noticed that the train tracks and bus depot were now only a block away. " Leave me the fuck alone!" I yelled over my shoulder. I had a feeling that I might get attacked from the back this time. So I turned right as sharp as I could without hurting anything. I aimed behind me and shot again. I heard the bullet hit pavement this time. " Damn" I mumbled to myself as I ran down the new street.

I heard some glass break in a house on my right. I turned left back onto a street heading toward the creek. I could see the tracks again but not the bus depot. "Why me, why the fuck me?" My question was answered be a hunter howl. I stopped and ducked. The creature flew over me, his claws scratching the cloth on my arms. As soon as he was over I stood up and started firing my pistol at him. " Die motherfucker! Die!" My voice was strained from how much I was yelling. Finally the hunter in question stopped moving. I reloaded my pistol quickly and shot it in the head a with a bullet or two to make sure it was dead. "Fucking bastard, I told you to leave me alone." My wheezing wasn't helping the situation any. I took in a deep breath and sat down on the pavement. After a few minutes I had my breathing and heart rate under control.

I glanced over at the body of the hunter, it's blood slowly flowed down the hill away from the body. My sigh of relief was mixed with pain. I was tired of running, and I was definitely tired of being one of the few to not just get infected with it already. I had thought of giving up and letting them get me but I was appalled at the thought. I would much rather go out fighting. I massaged the temple of my forehead and sighed again. This was going to be a long day. I glanced down at the empty railroad tracks, rust was starting to cover the rails. Just another reminder that life was no longer normal. Pushing myself up I wobbled a little bit as I started to head down the hill again. This time at a slow walk.

Stumbling across a rail I almost face planted into the concrete. Luckily my hands reached the ground the took the force of my fall. Great, even a year after a zombie apocalypse and I could still be a clumsy fool. Pushing myself up I glanced down to see rock and rubble on my hands along with some scratches and bruises. Now I'm also self inflicting harm, what could go wrong.

As I stood there I glanced right down the tracks and then left toward the bus depot. Choices, choices, so many choices. Wiping the rocks off on my blue jeans I decided to head right, down the tracks. Might find something useful that way. A year after the infection, I doubt there was anyone at that bus depot anyway.

As I stepped off the road and onto the ties I noticed that there were no boxcars or anything blocking the tracks. Maybe I'd find a locomotive with fuel in it. Would make traveling so much easier with the tracks this empty. Trying to keep from falling or alerting any common I stepped from tie, to tie. If this had been a year earlier I would have had my Ipod out and listened to music, sadly it died four weeks in. I had since then learned to just keep walking and keep thinking.

Actually my Ipod was in my pocket with it's charger cord in case I ever found a computer that I could plug it into to charge it. Crickets and frogs chirped in the end of summer afternoon. The nights and evenings were getting cooler now. Internally I wondered what month it was. After a while days turned into months and months turned into years.

I had actually lost count a long time ago. The few times I had figured out what month it was, was when I charged my Ipod which had an inbuilt calendar. Last time had been before I went to Pittsburgh. That would mean the last time I knew the month was when I was in Chicago, that was near the beginning of August. I laughed at that a little. I had been so stupid. When the infection first hit I had taken the Kia and a shotgun and headed west. The Kia is actually sitting at a house in San Francisco.

Since the world went to hell I just fueled the car up and kept going. I mean there was no need to pay since those manning the gas stations were zombies. When I made it to San Francisco I had actually been welcomed into a small survivor community which had grown and grown. After a while the city was mostly back to normal, gays, lesbians, straight couples, insane people with signs, and some nudists had survived and rebuilt the city's population well into the thousands. I laughed at the memory. That was probably the most insane and was sure to be one of the top ten most epic things I had seen during this apocalypse.

My mind put on the emergency breaks suddenly. I stood still and listened for the sound that bad caused that. I heard it again, a gurgling. " Fuck, a boomer." I felt like slapping myself. Really do I have to keep stating the obvious, out loud? I mean I am alone. Raising my pistol again I glanced around. I was now around a bend on the train tracks. To my left was a gentle slope down to the creek to my right on the other hand was a cliff rising above my head. I put caution to the wind and picked up my pace walking. " I'm warning you fatso, stay away!" Ever want to say something and have it ruined by an echo? Yeah standing next to this cliff I ended up getting that effect meaning my insult was repeated more than once.

Keeping my eyes on alert I kept searching left and right and at random intervals I would look behind me. I heard the gurgling getting loader. Yeah, I had had enough of this loud noises and no idea where he was. I took off at a sprint, trying my best to stay on the ties, down the track. I sprinted along the bend as the tracks went right, suddenly a wish was granted. I seen a train in the distance sitting in front of a signal which was blank from the lack of power. I also noticed some commons wandering around it. I jumped over the rail on my left and tried my best to over the next rail. I groaned as I stumbled a little into the middle of the second track. Glancing behind me I also got another wish, a boomer chasing after meet. Aiming my pistol haphazardly behind me I took a shoot. A loud explosion told me that I had achieved my goal. " One point for Survivor, 0 for boomer." Did you know murmuring when running can cause you to stumble?

As I stumbled I tried my best to regain my balance while still sprinting toward the locomotive of the train. As I passed boxcars,tank cars, and coal cars I took aim and tried to take out the commons as I got closer. I shot the head off one wearing a striped engineer cap. I smirked as I passed his body. " Hope you don't mind if I borrow it buddy." Yes, I was talking to a corpse, so what? I climbed up the small ladder onto the platform along the locomotive. " Please have gas, please have gas."

I walked down the platform and opened the door leading to the cab. As I stepped in I closed the door behind me and noticed a panel on the back wall was open. I stepped over and read what it said. The dipping sun helped illuminate some of the fading words. After a few seconds of reading I decided that the locomotive had been shut down before they left it here. Time to remedy that, I flipped all the off switches to on from left to right. After flipping all of them on I didn't hear anything new, nothing that sounded like a motor anyway.

Frustrated I stepped over to the engineers' chair and took a seat. Chewing my lip I glanced up at the controls and a mirror on the side of the cab. My brow furrowed at what was in the mirror. Two panels were open on the side of the locomotive and there was a dead body on the railing, tho it seemed to be rotting away. I stepped out of the cab cautiously. I glanced around out of paranoia. I took a shot at the corpse to make sure it really was dead, it didn't move after I shot it. I stepped over to see what was inside. I glanced at what the corpse was looking at. I smiled at what I saw, the engine. " Why thank you my dead friend. This is just what I was looking for." Turning back to the task at hand I reached in and turned the nob I saw on the left.. After holding it there for a few seconds it seemed to catch. Reaching over I pulled both doors over and closed them. In a little better mood I reentered the cab and closed the door behind me. The gauges and displays were coming to life inside. " Maybe ya have enough gas to at least get us to the next town?" I glanced over at the fuel gauge, she had maybe a quarter of a tank left. Enough to maybe make it to the next town and maybe more.

Suddenly I heard two sounds I had not wanted to hear. A hunter howl, and a hordes scream. I clumsily reached over the forced the brake lever over to fully released. I let out a sigh as the locomotive started to slowly move. The squeal of wheels that had been rusted and left alone for a almost a year reached my ears. I reached over and applied some pressure to the throttle we needed to get moving. I heard the horde scream again. The hunters yell came shortly after. The locomotive started pulling ahead. The cars behind it unused to moving let me know of their protest.

I watched the speedometer slowly rise, two miles per hours, 4 miles per hour, and six miles per hour. Glancing back I noticed some infected that had managed to get on board were clawing at the door. Taking out my pistol I shot at them. I turned back to the controls and pulled the throttle half way. " Take that zombies, I dare ya to chase me now." I turned back around to face the last two or three.

I quickly dealt with them. We were picking up speed now. Ten miles per hour, thirteen miles per hour,and sixteen miles per hour. I glanced over at the other door and Noticed a zombie or two banging on it. I stood up and strolled over staring at them. I shook my head and shot them both in the head.

Turning my focus and attention back to the rails I watched as our train slowly rolled across a switch. Now the tracks were down too one. Stepping back over to the engineers seat I took a seat and watched as the scenery passed by. The locomotive topped a speed of thirty miles per hour after a few minutes. As long as we didn't meet a tank we'd be okay. Actually it was sorta entertaining to watch some dazed common get hit by our train. Nothing this large had come down these tracks in almost a year if not more.

As it was becoming darker I realized I needed headlights. Unless I particularly wanted to run head first into a stopped train or destroyed track. Glancing around at the controls my eyes landed on the small dial labeled " headlights". I turned it all the way to the right. A bright light burst in front of the locomotive illuminating the tracks. Chuckling I reached over and pulled the horn letting out a loud blast. I was thoroughly enjoying this, something I hadn't been able to do much since the apocalypse hit.

I watched as we passed through some metal girders on a bridge finally crossing the creek. The tracks slowly started to bend to the right again. Slowly a faint glow in the distance started to get brighter.

It must have been a survivor camp, one of the many across America. I chuckled at the thought of the survivors who lived there seeing one of their own passing them on a train. An even better thought tho was how would they react at seeing something that made it feel like a normal world again.

As we neared the camp I pulled on the horn. I watched the glow get brighter as we neared. It must have been pandemonium as I watched people run out of shacks and go to the banks of the creek. I pulled the horn again as I passed by on the other side of the creek. In the dim light you could see some of their faces. I noticed a range from surprised looks to that of loathing for the day of normal to return. A few just looked on in happiness at something new. I inwardly cheered myself on as I once again pulled the horn, as if assuring them that this was real and not a dream. I hoped that this gave them some courage that the world came go back to the way it was.

I glanced into the mirror and watched the camp disappeared into the turn. As the train rounded a bend to the left I glanced over at the fuel meter. I felt my smile mostly fade away. I had probably another three, four hours worth of gas. I looked up and watched the dark country side pass by me. Maybe we'd be able to reach a town soon and I could take cover. I sighed and just sat back. Might as well enjoy what is left of the ride.


	3. Chilly Morning

My eyes snapped open. The cold steel and frosty air met my body. I was stiff but that was to be expected since I had slept on the floor. Glancing up from my hiding spot, under a small counter top for the conductor, I noticed that there was fog outside the window along with some trees. It looked like we had stopped in a very lightly forested area. It was definitely morning, and a rather fallish morning at that. My body was on high alert tho, ready to attack. Last night I had left the engine on after a while and decided to try and sleep. If we hit anything I'd be shocked awake by the impact or dead. Either way I'd end up better off than I was.

There was a scratch at one of the doors. I must have heard it in my sleep, waking me up.. The metallic scratch came again. Crawling out of my hiding spot I got ready to fight what ever it was be it common infected or a tank. Time had taught me that constant vigilance was needed in the mornings like this. Well, more like mornings when I woke up and had no idea where I was. I stifled a yawn as I turned the safety off my gun. Every night I put my gun on safety so I didn't shoot myself while I slept. Great way to make sure I don't commit suicide in my dreams.

I stood up slowly. My eyes glanced from one door to the other. The scratching had stopped all of a sudden and nothing was in sight out the windows on the doors. I decided to take in my surroundings since the immediate danger was gone.

Outside of the train I seen the creek had grown into a river and was now on the left of the train now. I looked to my left and seen that we were in a very light section of the forest like I thought. On the other side of the trees, maybe three yards away I seen a road.

Suddenly there was a loud bang behind me, as if something had fallen on the hood of the engine. Spinning around fast I aimed my gun at what ever had fallen. On the hood laid a figure. He wore a dirty black hoodie and had dark chocolate brown hair. I smirked as I recognized the hoodie. "Ya know ya could of just knocked on the door like a normal person?"

I opened the door behind the engineer's seat and walked down the platform. A chuckle left me as I heard him give a half moan half growl as he started to come too. Stepping down the steps I looked around in case of attack. Seeing no threat, I walked around to the front of the locomotive to see how my hunter friend was doing. Once reaching the front I climbed the steps there too and clambered onto the front platform. "Josh, ya know this isn't how I prefer waking up but it'll do." Chuckling I heard another soft growl as he came into view. Said hunter was rubbing the back of his head. Rolling my eyes I decided to take a hold of the situation and make sure he didn't hurt anything.

Glancing over his body I didn't see anything out of place and his bodily functions seemed to be working from where I could see. "Ya look alright. Now get up ya big baby." A growl that seems like a fuck off came from him. I smirked at that. " Ya are getting better at that. Maybe in half a year we can have ya speakin again." Josh slowly moved his hand and raised it into the air. Slowly all his claws but the middle one closed. "Ya know, I wouldn't mind that but not right now." His hand must have lost the energy it had gained as it fell limp and hit the hood. I chuckled and shook my head as I turned back toward the front.

A large smile was playing on my lips as I started to walk away. " Ya going to go back to following me at a distance or are ya going to come with me this time?" I stepped off the front of the locomotive and landed on my toes. I glanced behind me to see him slowly stretching his sore limbs. " Ya know, I don't know how ya did it but next time, don't land on ya head." The only reply I got was a growl.

Shaking my head I took off at a gentle stroll toward the road. Branches and a leaf or two crunched under my feet as I walked. I glanced over my shoulder after a few minutes and seen Josh following me. He looked awkward the way he was walking straight up as if he was trying to be normal or like a board. I shook my head at his antics and continued walking toward the road.

Josh was slightly odd, while he was friendly, he seemed almost iffy about being around me. As if he would attack me after losing an internal battle. Survivors and infected have worked before but this seemed to be something else. Most of the survivors who worked with friendly infected most likely were immune and could take it if their infected snapped, I couldn't. I would most likely either die or become infected myself.

Sighing I stepped onto the pavement. Grass was starting to come through the cracks in the road. " Might as well follow the river, might lead us to Pittsburgh or another city. Then we can see about getting a car or new transportation there before heading south." I was determined to get home. No matter the cost I was going home. So we started walking along the stretch of road in front of us.

After an hour of walking we came across a sign, "Pittsburgh 3 Miles." I glanced over at Josh and smiled. " My luck has always been good but not this good. It's as if your my own good luck charm" Josh growled a little at that and I laughed. As I went back to facing forward I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Josh was smiling a little.

Another two hours and there was a city limits sign for Pittsburgh. The morning fog had by now disappeared and the air was warming up. After some memory searching I knew for sure we were maybe in September or late August with this type of weather.

A slight haze hung around the city. After many months of seeing the same haze in many cities I finally figured out what it was. This haze, was a sign of destruction, a sign of the end. It showed that life in that area had mostly ended and mostly in a violent way. It was a residue of the pollution and murders that took place here. Cities like New York, and Chicago had a lot of this haze in areas that seemed to have the highest body count or had the most pollution.

Having been to Pittsburgh recently I knew where the survivor colony was. It was stretched between two locations. The old Amtrak train station, and the Carnegie Science Museum. Two random locations ,almost. It was random till you realized how perfect it was. The colony here consisted well over a thousand people and was mostly alright with infected coming in as long as they were friendly. Interestingly enough the area contained in the colony was the Point state park, the Heinz Field, and the PNC field. Each large enough to house a few hundred people. Tho the PNC Field and train station had been turned into markets for shopping and trading.

The world was changing once again with the allowance of the infected like here in Pittsburgh. Cities like New York, Chicago, and Detroit didn't allow infected into their colonies for fear of being over thrown or just plain prejudice. Even Pittsburgh had a limit of only 3 intelligent infected at once.

After about an hour of walking we reached on of the entrances to the colony. I glanced behind me to the old bus depot then turned my gaze back to the heavily armed security guarding the gate to the train station. The world has changed. After a thorough check they let Josh and I pass saying that only one intelligent infected was inside at the moment.

As we entered I heard Josh give a quiet screech in amazement. What could was salvaged. Metal was welded and boards were nailed. In front of us a train station had turned into a concourse of stores and looked more like a mall than the seating area it once was. Smiling I lead the way into the colony passed the souvenir, clothing, and gun stores in this section of the market.

Last time I was here I visited a cousin of mine. She had made it to Pittsburgh with her husband shortly after the infection hit. Actually she was one of the founders of the colony along with her husband. Them and around seven others had banded together at the Carnegie Science Museum and had created this. They were immune unlike I who was not.. Actually it was at her place I had heard about West Virginia's mostly downfall and the astronauts.

We stepped out of the back of the train station and into a street. A semi bustling street. "I know this is odd but some how they figured out a way to give everyone jobs and keep everyone busy. I have no idea how they did it but they did. The closest civilization has come to once again being civilized." I glanced over at Josh and smiled. I knew he couldn't reply but I knew this all needed a bit explaining to help him figure it out. A few cars drove down the street, solar panels powered them now instead of gas. After we walked a block or two and stopped numerous times for Josh to take in something or someone wanted to try and sell us something. We finally made it to her building and entered the front. It was a gorgeous building, most of the outside was covered in black glass and inside it was a mix of black tiles and tiles that looked like marble.

The receptionist glanced up and smiled at me. " Thought you were heading to the big apple Steve?" She was pretty, in her late 20's, blonde hair, dark green eyes, a voice that reminds you of a those country singers, and extremely pale skin. Actually she almost looked like a ghost with the lack of pigment, but I didn't remark on it because of how pale I used to be myself. "Janis, ya know I can't leave ya too long. Actually I decided to go home. Josh here helped me decide." I waved over at Josh who stood a little behind me as if using my for a meat shield.

I watched as her eyebrows raised. " I know Janis, but he's cool. Not much a talker nut cool.." I chuckled a little as I noticed this didn't help Janis. " Seriously, I'll be okay round him. He would never hurt me on purpose." I heard a small snort behind me. Probably the first I ever come from him actually. I raised an eyebrow and looked at him. " Can't ya tell I'm trying to reassure the lady?" I pointedly asked him. Josh put his hands up in surrender and waved for me to continue.

I heard Janis giggle a little. " You know Steve, I think you should keep him. He might help you out in more ways than one." I rolled my eyes at her and started walking toward the stairs. I looked over at Janis before entering the stairwell. " Melinda in?" I asked. Janis looked at a book in front of her for a second before looking back up at my with a smile. " Says she checked in last night around 10 PM and hasn't left yet." I nodded toward her. " Thanks Janis, see you round." With my thanks I turned round and headed up the stairs, Josh close behind me.

Twenty floors up I turned into the hall way on my right. I heard Josh panting a little behind me. "Don't worry man. She lives nearby. It won't be much farther." I heard Josh cough behind me. I chuckled a little and walked up to her door. I knocked on the steel door. " Hey Melinda, it's Steve. I have company with me, can I come in?" I heard high heels on the other side of the door.

I backed up as the door swung toward us. Standing in front of us was a woman in her early 20's. She had light brown hair, sort of a nasal sound to her voice that didn't sound off, and a slim figure. "Melinda, it's so nice to see you again." If a voice could radiate love I was sure mine was now. She was the most I had been able to find of my family after the apocalypse. She smiled warmly at me and moved forward to give me a hug. "Steven,what have you gotten yourself into now?" As she back away from the hug I gasped, trying my best to give off a shocked look. "Moi, in trouble? Never." Melinda just laughed and waved us in.

Josh and I stepped into her apartment, the door closing behind us. Turning to Melinda I gave her a sheepish smile. " Actually I'm here because I need to know some info about West Virginia, and I was wondering if there was a place to get some transport to head down south." Melinda frowned at that. "Steven, you know that it's overrun what else do you need to know?" I stepped toward her dinning room and waved for her to take a seat.

Melinda rolled her eyes but obeyed. After she was seated I started to talk. " Alright, I need to know if there are any settlements down there, I also need to know if the railroads tracks are clear, And I'd like to know if the river is also clear. If we have too Josh and I are going to take either a train or boat down to Old Martins, as I hear it's called now." I smiled over at her as she glanced at the hunter with me. I noticed she frowned as she realized he was infected. " Don't worry, he's perfectly safe." I reassured her.

After a few minutes of letting her think Melinda finally she just sighed. "Alright I'll get you your info but don't leave my apartment till I get back." I nodded understanding what she meant. "Okay now does the TV still work? I was thinking about trying to catch of glimpse of the apocalypse traffic report." Melinda rolled her eyes as she went around getting her coat and things together. "Yes Steven, the TV still works, we also got the computer to work so you can charge that dingy old Ipod of yours. I have no idea how you keep that thing from becoming ruined." Before she left Melinda put on a pair of tennis shoes, putting her high heels beside the door. "Now behave. The both of you." I smiled and waved goodbye to her.

As the door closed I looked over at Josh. "I might as well get my Ipod charged, if you want you can turn on the TV. If I remember right news is on channel 3." With that I turned and walked out of the room and into a small hall.

About two doors down I turned left into Melinda's office, being a co-founder she had got a job as head of communications. Something she was good at, once having worked for a telephone company before the apocalypse. That meant she was in charge of getting telephones, internet, and even cell phones working again. With her miniature army of workers I heard they almost had it complete last time I was here.

Inside her office I found the computer on and running as well as a desk covered in papers. I plugged my Ipod in using the charging cable I had brought. Glancing around I noticed that most the papers were old military orders along with a few old transcripts from CEDA investigations during the first few days. It wasn't really out of the ordinary to find these here but it did leave me curious as to why she would have them and not the head of security.

Stepping out of the office I walked back down the hall to find Josh crouched next to the couch, watching TV. The Pittsburgh survivors had found an old TV broadcast lab and had mainly brought it back to life with solar panels, and lots of wire. Infected were not allowed in there tho as it was to dangerous and too important to lose. "The area around Pittsburgh is almost void of any common infected anymore, in other news reports are coming in up the river of a lone survivor seen passing by on a train last night. It is said that a shadowy survivor was seen driving a freight train towards Pittsburgh late last night. The survivor colony it passed said it was shocked and excited at the view the survivor had given them. It is thought this survivor might make it into the city later today, we will keep you up to date on this story as more comes in.. Now for the weather, over to you Brad." I glanced over at Josh and laughed. "Looks like we made the news bud."

I took a seat on the couch in front of the flat screen TV and continued watching with Josh. When they got back to the news desk there wasn't much new. A scavenge team had found some overgrown fields with corn, a boy was crying to the reporters about how a priest had molested him after a group of infected had killed his parents, and how one of the local actresses was trying to lose weight for her next roll as a witch in a local comedy show. Even in a zombie apocalypse TV stayed the same.

After three hours the front door opened and in strode Melinda. In her arms she was carrying four rolls of paper. "Okay I got the info you wanted." I noticed she watched me out of the corner of her eye as she put the papers down on her dinning room table. I smiled at her. "What do you expect me to turn into a tank or something?" Melinda shook her head as if shaking a thought away.

"Alright, now the main roads down to West Virginia were blocked many times with many blockades, meaning most likely there were a lot of car jams so taking a car is out of the question. The rivers on the other hand, any boats or barges must likely have run aground quickly with the river being so curvy. It is unknown if the river is clear tho since the military was bombing bridges. We have a few boats ready if you wish to go that way. Also, you asked about the railroad. According to the maps and some old recordings I found it seems the line was pretty much dead that day. The only train in that area was filled with supplies and it made it to it's destination. Now if you were to take a train down that way it might be difficult. The only train that will make it there is over near the PNC Market. The biggest issue for you will be fuel but I can see if we can take a team over there and fuel it up if you wish." Melinda glanced up from her maps up at me. I rubbed my wispy beard and started to pace.

After a few minutes of pacing I finally stopped. Sighing deeply I rubbed my forehead. I pointed at the map of the railroad. "If I took the train all I have to worry about is having enough fuel to make it passed Wheeling since most of the track before that is in Ohio. I doubt a boat would make it. To many chances that bridges have been destroyed and clog up the river. A car, like you said is impossible with all these blockades. I mean what were they thinking." Taking a seat at the table I looked at the fourth map which showed how the outbreak reached certain areas and how bad it was now according to scavenge teams.

Mainly it looked like the infected were sticking to the roads and towns. Towns that used to house maybe ten families now housed nearly fifty zombies. It literally was overrun. A train would bypass the towns, but it would attract hordes everywhere it went through. As long as the train didn't hit a tank or other larger infected it would be alright. Glancing over at another paper on the side I found it had details of the train over by the PNC Stadium.

"SD50, never drove one of those. Wonder if the start up is like an SD40, doubt it. Try and get me an ex-engineer with the group just in case it isn't. Seeing as most of cars on this train were passenger cars it will be a little fast. Tho I am curious as to why it is sitting over there. Maybe an evacuation train that never left? Melinda can we get a group together and ready by tonight to investigate and fuel it up?" I looked up at her hopefully. She stood there hunched over the maps for a few minutes. I watched as the skin on her forehead bunched up in thought."Quite possibly but aren't you rushing it a bit?"Concern and confusion laced her voice. I knew that I was being hasty but this opportunity wouldn't stay there long.

Melinda sighed heavily as she noticed I wasn't budging. She turned and headed toward the door to go set up a group. Before she closed the door she looked back at me. "Steven, you owe me one after this." I smiled towards her and waved her off. "Yeah but then you'll owe me one day and we'll be even." I heard her laugh as she closed the door behind her.

I sighed once she was gone and looked over at Josh. He cocked his head to the side a little. "I love her dearly, but we can't stay here. We gotta move out soon and hopefully with transportation and protection to the transport."I looked toward the window and noticed in coming rain clouds. I glanced back at Josh and noticed that he was shaking his head. I felt defeated by such a simple move. "I'm gonna go get some rest Josh, you can sleep with me in the guest room if you want." I turned and headed toward the guest room.

The TV was still blaring as I left the room. Thunder rolled through the building. I glanced back and watched Josh turn off the TV and start coming in my direction. I smiled and shook my head as I went into the guest room for some sleep.


	4. Memories

I glanced over at Josh. He kept looking forward into the empty passenger car. Chairs seemed to have been ripped out and a bloody battled had commenced. Blood was everywhere it seemed. The walls were a brownish red naturally so the blood almost mixed in. My stomach turned knots.

It was nearly eight at night. Melinda had kept her promise and had got a group together quickly. She on the other hand had offered us up to inspect the passenger cars while the rest guarded the locomotive. I have a feeling she did that to get revenge on me for the time I dressed up and pretended to be infected during Easter. In the end she rushed me to the medic thinking I was infected. As soon as her and I were behind closed doors I told him what was going on. He actually went along with it and we had a mighty good laugh. Melinda on the other hand had been pissed.

Josh and I just stood there a little longer, a M16 in my hands ready to explore the cars. Finally I sighed, a little defeated, and shook my head. As I stepped forward a smoker stepped out of his hiding place behind the doorway in front of us. His tongue shot out and grabbed me. The slimy appendage wrapped around my waist Before I could even take a breathe to scream, I heard a wet rip. The tongue around me went slack. "Gewl, gross!" Yes I was whining, but imagine if you had a slimy tongue around your waist. Turning around I seen Josh standing there smiling devilishly at the smoker, it seemed to be puffing off some extra smoke in anger from having it's tongue cut.

Raising my M6 for aim, I watched as the smoker stopped puffing off smoke. The smoker had went from predator to prey. "Adios." My voice seemed to carry through the empty car. I let loose a burst of bullets into the smoker. A cloud of smoke exploded. The body fell to the ground, bouncing lightly as it landed. Not taking any chances I shot it a few more times, just to make sure it was dead.

I stepped forward and walked over the body and into the next car. I let loose a spray into some of the zombies and three seats left in the car. As we stepped into the third car we found out where the seats had gone. Who ever the survivors were on this train, they had tried to build a small fort using the seats as a wall. A hole the shape of a charger in the center showed the issue. The metal used for the chairs were okay for keeping normal infected out, but not for chargers so much.

Stepped through the hole I found we were in a dining car. It looked like before the charger had bust through the wall this must have been their surgical ward. The tabled were bloody and surgical equipment was set up. I shot at the three stumbling zombies as we walked through the car.

As we neared the back I found a small kitchen area. Inside was a guy with his head literally chopped off with a butcher knife. A bit of the spinal cord stuck out of the body where the head had been dispatched. The flesh seemed to have deteriorated some but not enough having been locked in this enclosed space. I backed out and back into the hall. I closed the door behind me to block out the sight and smell.

As I started walking down the hall toward the last car I started rambling to Josh."After the infection began. People lost their minds. Some quite literally. Everyone feared that everyone was infected. Very few trusted each other. That man wasn't infected. He was murdered in fear that he was infected. Think about it for a second tho, without order murders could murder, rapists could do what ever they wanted with lone survivors they found, sadly that means even the most psychotic killer was let loose, usually they either lived, or died meeting their first tank. It is said hundreds of survivors who weren't killed by the infection and zombie probably died at the hands of other humans."

I sighed as we entered the last car. Quickly my frown turned to a smile. "Lookie here Josh, an observation car. I always wanted to ride in one of these when I was a kid." Striding into the room I took a gander. The back of the car was oval shaped with a nice panoramic window to look out the back. There was a bar near the front of the car and it seemed to contain a few alcoholic beverages still on the shelf in their original container.

A lone zombie in a bar tending outfit stood up wobbly behind the counter. I smirked as I shot the guy in the head. "No zombies, no service." Josh stayed near the front of the car and watched me curiously. I waved my hands in the air pointing my gun at the ceiling. " What? I just like having fun with them. Their dead already so why not pick on em?" Josh shook his head slowly, obviously ashamed for having deciding to go with me.

Rolling my eyes I unclasped the walkie talkie from my belt. "Team alpha this is team bravo. The train is secure, I repeat the train is secure. Also there is alcohol in the last car if ya'll want something to take with ya." I waited for a few minutes. "Team bravo this is leader of team alpha. Techie almost has the objective. Please return to designated home base." I nodded over at Josh. He shook his head again and turned around heading back to the front of the train. "Team bravo copies. Eta four minutes." I clasped the walkie talkie back to my belt and followed Josh back to the front.

As I followed Josh back through the empty train my mind flickered to scene, vaguely. The train had been slowly down for a stop. I blinked and suddenly the car was filled with bodies. People just laying on the tables with few with their stomachs wide open in the middle of surgery. I squeaked when a large shape bust out of the wall in front of me and ran right at me. I closed my eyes waiting for impact. When none came I opened my eyes to see the hole the charger had made in the wall of chairs. Josh was on the other side waiting. I quickly shook my head and followed him. Just a day dream, just a day dream.

Entering the next car it happened again. Suddenly there was a battle going on, soldiers were coming from behind me and firing at the hordes of zombies. Entering from the first car. I swung around and seen some people being supported. They were trying to escape the train. A growl sounded behind me. I squeaked and turned to see Josh standing there.

Taking a deep breath I started walking again. Josh fell in behind me. He seemed a little worried about my outburst of looking at nothing. I was sorta hoping it would just end so we could get out of here.

If only my hopes of getting out were answered, as I entered the first car a more violent scene played. Soldiers, doctors, even a few civilians were all in various states of being ripped apart and eaten. Blood sprayed from arteries on to the walls and infected standing round. Bones were being gnawed on as the skin and organs were devoured. I felt bile rise in my throat. Gagging I bent over and tried to catch my breath.

Suddenly I felt a clawed hand on my back. It slowly rubbed up and then back down. As if it was comforting me. I looked up and came eye to eye with Josh. His red burning eyes seemed to dig into my soul. They were filled with confusion and worry. I let loose a shaken sigh and whimpered. "Please get me out of here Josh, please." I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I glanced back down at the floor as Josh put his arm around my back and slowly dragged me out of the train car.

As we reached the door between the passenger cars and the engine I sniffed and tried to become as composed as I could. If the leader of team alpha seen me all teary and unstable he might call off the mission and call a retreat thinking I was a child.

I opened the door and stepped out onto the platform of the SD50. I went right and walked along the platform to the cab. I opened the door and stepped in. "Team bravo reporting, sir." The team leader, Alex, was a friend of Melinda's and I trusted him. He nodded. "At ease team bravo. The engineer says he will start the engine as soon as your ready." I nodded and took a seat in the engineer seat. Josh closed the door behind him and stood beside me. I glanced out the windshield and into the early night. " Alex, I wish for you and your team to guard the train from the ground till the engineer has started the train. He will soon jump off after it is started. I suggest ya'll hurry back to the colony. After the engine starts it will call a horde."

I glanced up to see Alex smirking. " Thought you might say that. My team is in position and we will be there to catch the engineer when he jumps. A group has been stationed at the gate closest to us in case we need help. Good luck on your expedition Steven. I hope you find what you're looking for." His speech was comforting in the most. He stuck out his hand. Smiling I reached out and grasped it firmly in a handshake. "Thank you Alex, for everything." He nodded and turned to exit the cab. He closed the door behind him.

I glanced over at Josh and smiled. " Ya might as well take the conductors seat and watch the mirror, growl when the engineer is off." Josh nodded and took his position, sitting awkwardly in the conductors seat. After a few minutes I heard the engine give life. I glanced at the fuel gauge and watched the need sky rocket.

Josh gave a short growl. I reached over and pulled the brake lever into the released position. The locomotive started moving. I hit the bell button and held it down for a few minutes. The train started moving slowly. Reaching over I pulled the throttle up three notches. I nodded as I watched the speedometer slowly rise. I reached over and pulled the horn for two short blasts. Standard protocol is uncalled for, but it would cause enough noise to bring the horde to us and away from Pittsburgh.

The horde yells came. Zombies seemed to appear from every nook and cranny of the city as they flocked to our train. I glanced over and seen Josh was smirking. "Fun isn't it?" I got a small growl in response. I chuckled as we started mowing through zombies. As the train moved forward the track became more wooded on the left. Three tracks to our right it was also getting wooded. The tracks actually went through the Allegheny Commons Park. For less than a half mile the tracks would be the most wooded they would get for a while.

After a few seconds we went under the first of many streets we would go under after that we went under an avenue. Zombies were jumping off the streets and onto the train. They seemingly appeared from nowhere as they come rushing out of the woods as they tried to attack our train.

An hour later and we were out of Pittsburgh. Our train was doing a moderate twenty five miles per hour now. Some lucky zombies were now dead behind the doors to the cab. I glanced out Josh's window. This leg of the journey seemed to stick right to the edge of the river.

Our headlight was illuminating the darkness of night had settled in. We had barely left the city but old traffic jams and blockades lined the road on our right. The river on the other hand was another issue, barges and boats seemed to be floating everywhere. A few had actually landed on the bank next to the tracks and gave us some close calls. Other areas were blocked by bridges that had been blown up.

Standing up from my seat I stretched my arms. Josh was no longer sitting in his seat. He was crouched on it looking much like a hunter statue. I smiled at him sadly. "Sorry that I couldn't get you better seating. I think we have an hour and a half before we reach Wheeling." Josh stared at me for a few and then nodded curtly. He returned his gaze back to the front of the train.

I continued looking at him for a few minutes before sighing and taking my seat. "Ya need to learn how to speak. I'm getting tired of the guessing games. One minute it's easy to read and the next it's hard as if you are intentionally trying to confuse me." With that I pulled the M16 over my head and leaned it up against the wall on my right.

Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my Ipod and headphones. I smirked as I put on the headphones and plugged them into my Ipod. I scrolled down to the calendar option "Lets see what today is." The illuminated screen popped up. I raised my eyebrows a bit at the date. "Well lookie here. It's September 8th,2010. I'm eighteen now. Eighteen and fulfilled a life long dream, driving a train. Now what?" I glanced over at Josh only to see him curling up in the chair to get some sleep.

Sighing I sat back and ignored the silence. No birthday, no celebration, nobody to celebrate it with. Tears pricked at the sides of my eyes. Such a small thing but it hurts knowing that those you love might be gone. That they missed a whole year of your developing years. It had been hard at first, leaving home like that. After getting to San Francisco it had been easier as people kept my mind off it. Then I had heard that a group of survivors had built a place in Pittsburgh and I had to go home.

The tears rolled down my cheek silently as the train cut through the darkness. I glance back down at my Ipod and rolled up to songs. I put on some swing and just relaxed, I'd rather not cry at 18.

I watched trees and overpasses pass us in the dark as the train moved quickly to it's location. Soft snores, or were they growls, came from where Josh sat. Turning off my Ipod I put it back into my pocket not wanting to waste battery time. I listened to the sound of the rails, the silence of the night, the squish of one or two zombies the train would hit. I chuckled softly at the last. Once again I recited in my head. " So much has changed."

I sighed again and leaned my head against the back of my chair. I starred up at the metal ceiling. This is why I didn't want to drive trains as I got older. Actually I had decided to go into level design. The reason being after a while a person like me gets fidgety and bored. I glanced down at my wrist only to remember I had left my wrist watch at the house in San Francisco. Sighing I pulled out my Ipod and turned it back on. I back out to the main menu then down to the clock menu. "Five minutes after eleven? We should arrive in Martins Ferry, Ohio soon." My voice seemed to almost echo in the silence of the cab.

After turning off my Ipod I put it back in my pocket and watched as we neared a familiar landmark. "Josh, wake up, we're almost in Wheeling. I need ya to keep your eyes open." Josh growled a little at me almost as if he didn't want to wake up. Glancing over I watched as he mainly curled up tighter proving my point about not wanting to wake up.

" Josh, wake up now!" The hunter let loose a screech and unfurled himself. He glared at me. " Watch for settlements, this is no time for sleeping!" Yeah I was angry but, it was mostly from being stuck in the cab. The silence like that just kills me internally.

I pulled the throttle back as we exited Martins Ferry and started to pass Wheeling Island. Up ahead was Interstate 70. Memories flooded back to me. The time my parents had took me to the model railroad store on this side of the river. We never bought anything but I loved it all the same because they had a train layout. As the train passed under the overpass my mind wandered to a few other times we had crossed there when coming back from the St. Clairsville Mall and was heading to the zoo or the time we had went on a long trip and had to stop in St. Clairsville for some items to protect our luggage.

As our train slowly moved past Bridgeport I caught sight of Interstate 470. Now that bridge was something else. The green arch and it's on-ramp held more memories for my life than I wish to reveal. Like the time my mother and father had taken me to St. Clairsville Mall, at midnight, for the release of a mature rated video game. I was only 15 at the time. Then there was the time I went to a Cub Scout meeting with my mother when I was 6. Oh and the times we took my great grandmother to the mall. May what ever god is out there bless her soul. She passed, luckily, a few years before the infection. I don't think I could of stood it if she had got infected or died by their hands.

Sitting forward on my seat I watched as we passed under the bridge and headed toward the KIA dealership on the left side of the track. As we passed it memories of times we had bought a van there. Only to a year later sell it back and buy the KIA, which was in San Francisco. I glanced out the right side of the cab. What I seen wasn't comforting the least. It was a shocking way to return to reality. Traffic jams littered the area with stumbling zombies.

No matter how badly I wish for this to be a dream I couldn't stop seeing my parents frightened looks when I told them what was happening and my plans. I couldn't stop seeing the car wrecks and mangled bodies when trying to escape the zombie hell. I sighed and looked over at Josh. I slowly shook my head.

"I'm sorry Josh. I shouldn't of yelled." He seemed to do his best yeah right sound as he could. I continued tho. "It was wrong of me, there are no colonies here, nobody lived. You can go back to sleep if you wish."I looked up from where I had been staring at my hand on the throttle and looked through the windshield. Josh didn't say or do anything. He just sat there in silence.

We watched in silence as the train went right and crossed over into Bellaire. Slowly the track started to rise. After a few seconds the grass turned to bricks. A few more seconds and those bricks turned to a steel bridge with hand rails. The track gently curved to the left heading for the larger bridge over the river.

My frown turned to a smirk as I remembered seeing this bridge for years along with the bridge to the left. The bridge that went to nowhere as we called it.. All the times we had passed these bridges on our way to have a home cooked meal at a family restaurant named "Youngs." A tradition my great grandmother had started. She loved eating there. Their food was always fresh and it was always nice. I could pick out one memory of the place but that wouldn't do it justice. I sighed as I once again realized what was actually going on. They had probably closed because of the zombie infection and were most likely gone for good either out of business or infected.

I pulled the throttle back up to three notches as we crossed the bridge. "We won't stop here for the night. We'll stop when we reach Old Martins." Josh replied with a small growl before getting out of his seat and curling up under the desktop to get some sleep. Once again I was alone.

The train rounded the bend on the other side of the bridge and moved down toward a small three track yard. I had never really seen this half of the yard and it was a curious sight. There was a string of freight cars on left, coal cars, tank cars, and even an old boarded up caboose just sat there as if waiting to be taken to some company far away.

As we exited the yard I noticed the highway next to us. I let off an inward laugh as I stared at it. The trips to the zoo for Halloween, the Christmas Light spectacle up at the zoo, even when we took my aunt to the bus station. The most ridiculous things held the strongest memories.

A half hour later we were passing the plants along the river. Zombies were sparse but the times you did see them they were in large groups. I reached for the horn and gave it a few good pulls. One long, one short, and two more long. The horn pattern for a crossing. The echo on the hills was something I missed dearly. With this dead silence tho it only made it creepy. Any survivors alive in this area would most likely think they were going crazy or had gone crazy.

I leaned back in my seat again. My mind started to wander over what needed to be done, and how to get home. From what I could remember of the map there had been a barricade on one side of the town so that left going the normal way out. That left me down too two different ways. Some back roads in the middle old Martins, or try and get this train to the next town and take the back road there. If we wanted to really risk it, we could try going two towns up and taking the main road there, who knows there might even be a survivor colony there. I sighed mentally berating myself. There was no way nobody could of lived through this. I was almost home but I had no plans on how to get there.

It was another half hour before we rounded the bend and headed into a town. A town that used to be our destination but was now just on the way. According to my Ipod it was 12:05 PM. I noticed that some of the street lights were still working, tho that wasn't to be unexpected with the town being built next to a dam which provided hydro electricity.

The town was sadly overflowing with memories. They never seemed to stop. Birthdays in a caboose,shopping in a boring clothing store, numerous hours spent in the electronics section of a big named store, not to mention all the fast food we ate in this town. A grin was plastered on my face as the train started to pass a shopping center directly across from the dam. The time when my dad worked at the gas station and how he picked on the girls working there,the many movies we had seen at the theater, the time I had bust open my knee and was rushed to the emergency room.

As the train neared the trailer park I couldn't resist. I pulled the horn, giving off a nice long loud blast of sound to the silent town. I frowned watching only zombies come running,they almost seemed to be pouring toward our train. I moved the throttle to the second peg giving us a bit more speed. A bit of my weird family had lived in that trailer park before the infection. I had doubted they were still there yet still alive but I had hoped some.

I swore I could see memories almost perfectly again as I watched myself play at a park we had passed or sitting bored in a car at a lumber yard. I watched as we neared the yard I seen the location of the bricks along the tracks. I had once theorized that a train station used to sit there. My parents had smiled and encouraged me. Zombies staggered around on the bricks almost as if they were waiting for our train.

I swallowed a lump that had been forming in my throat. I had never realized how hard it was going to be coming home. How the memories would assault me from left and right and how emotional I would feel seeing it in ruins and filled with zombies.

"Josh, this was my home. This was my life here. You will never realize how much this hurts. How much I want to just run away and cry. Everywhere I look I see memories now. The good, the bad, and even the stupid." Our train crawled across a bridge over a creek. The yard was very close now. " You seen the world change in front of you. I ran away. I couldn't do that. I just couldn't stay there and watch it all go to hell."

I let out a long sigh as the train entered the yard. "I need to see if they lived, but I fear what I will find. I don't know if I can take watching them being stumbling zombies." Our train passed a train of boxcars on our left. I shook my head slowly. " Sorry, anyway if you are hearing this Josh. We're not stopping here. I decided that we are going to go a few towns up the river before backtracking." I looked over hoping to see Josh awake and listening. All I seen was him curled up. I sighed and sat back in my chair. "Thanks for listening Josh." My voice weakly echoed in the darkness as I stared out the windshield.


	5. The Welcoming Committee

Shrieking, all I heard was a metallic screeching. My eyes shot open. We seemed to be passing through some town along the river. The sound sounded as if metal was being rubbed the wrong way against another piece of metal. Grinding seemed like the term for it. The train was slowing, and slowing fast it was.

A horde came running toward the train. I gulped. This was bad. Suddenly there was an explosion in the middle of the horde. Pieces of zombies went flying. Bones,flesh,entrails, everything. It was as if someone had turned on gore mode in a video game. Then I realized the significance of the raining body parts. There was another survivor here. Suddenly the train came to a jolting stop.

"Give me your name and state your business or I'll blow your train sky high!" I recognized that evil cackle, that high sounding voice. The one kid I had gone to high school with that I had expected to survive. I quickly stood up and hurried out of the cab. If this was really him we had to act fast. He was a loose cannon in school and probably much more so now.

As I opened the door I heard him yell at us again. "Hands up where I can see them. State your business." I knew a simple answer wouldn't suffice and he would want more info. I could see his outline on the rooftops nearby. He seemed to be holing something large. "My name is Wolfy, I am here to check on my parents."

The air seemed tense for a few seconds. I could literally see time slow down as one second turned too three seconds. Finally he spoke. "Wolfy, you are granted one time admission along with your friend for old times sake." I smiled a little at that. " Thank you Dominic, thank you." I heard grumbling coming from where he was but I ignored it.

I quickly turned back to the locomotive and walked inside. As I grabbed my M16 I glanced over at Josh. I started explaining the situation as I slung the gun over my shoulder and neck. "Dominic is unstable, always has been. Back in school we compared him to Hitlar all the time. With this zombie apocalypse I think he's finally broke. He's not even as stable as he was in school. Try and act human around him, I have no idea how he will react to us."With that I turned and walked out of the cab and down the walkway.

As I jumped down onto the gravel I turned around and watched as Josh stepped out of the cab only to hop over the railing and go crashing down onto the gravel. Almost as if he had practiced parkour his whole life. I sighed and shook my head heading back toward the railroad crossing our train had passed. If anything Josh could pass as my parkour training buddy from San Francisco if Dominic asked.. Well as long as he didn't try to speak.

As we walked toward Main Street, Josh tried his best not to bend over like a hunter. My mind wandered back to hunters. Parkour was an art form before the infection. It was a way to get from one place to another in an urban setting. It was actually created in France.

In general Parkour was entertaining as it opened new ways to get from A to B. I had actually learned a bit of Parkour from a buddy back in San Francisco, Charles. Charles actually used to have a Parkour training website. It was also curious to me as Charles was also a reformed hunter. He had become infected shortly after one of his training sessions with a new student went wrong. He had kept almost all of his sanity tho so he had never hunted for humans for the most part. There was that one time tho and I'm perfectly fine for it. The man was a murder and deserved to die.

A loud explosion brought me back. Dust and debris littered where it had gone off. As it cleared it was obvious there was large hole in Main Street where a grenade had gone off. No, not a pipe bomb, a beeping grenade. There was even concrete missing from where it exploded. The bodies around it seemed scorched a bit but mostly blown into unrecognizable pieces. A voice sounded above us. "Go into door on your right. It'll take you right up to the roofs." We turned and started climbing the steps. The door had most likely disappeared months ago. Clawing zombies had most likely torn it to pieces. Only to be repaid the at the top of the stairs with being torn apart themselves by guns and grenades.

As Josh and I reached the top of the stairs we passed large holes in the walls suggesting I was right about the grenades going off here. An M40 sniper rifle soon came into view. Pointing directly at my head. I seen the smirk on Dominic's lips. "You let that beard of yours grow wild. Tho it's still scruffy and almost looks like you never left." I had no idea what he was talking about as I had shaved back in Pittsburgh. It seemed he was more delusional than I was at times. Dominic moved back and stepped out onto what was once maybe a roof. Now it was more of a small ammo depot. Guns all over, AK's, M16's, M40's,Desert Eagles, RPG, Grenade Launcher, hell I think I even saw a missile up there. "Welcome to my home Wolfy."

I quickly followed behind Domonic as he started walking toward a board placed between the rooftops. I heard Josh take up the rear. "So what you doin back here Steven? Thought you got out of here when you could. Why'd you come back?" I swallowed any fear I had. This was Dominic, a friend. I had no reason to fear him. Then again he had most likely gone crazy after being alone for so long with only zombies and guns.

I think I heard my voice crack as I replied to him. "We're here to check on my parents like I said on the train." Dominic stepped off the board and started heading toward a crashed 18 wheeler trailer that lead across the street to an old hardware store. "Well Steve, I can tell you for old times sake that their not there." I let out a shuddering sigh. Good or bad news? I still wasn't sure but Dominic wasn't done talking either. "Actually I hear a lot of your town was evacuated by the military. Sad news is most of the helicopters carrying evacuees crashed due to the pilots ending up infected."

Dominic chuckled darkly. "Seems like most helicopter pilots weren't immune." We stepped up onto the hardware stores roof. I noticed various supplies seemed to litter this roof too. Pills, hammers, wrenches, boards, health packs, welding supplies.

"More bad news but it sounds like almost all West Virginia refuges were killed by the military or went missing. You're parents living is a very low chance. Rumor has it those that went missing were being experimented on." We climbed down a laddar onto a wooden shed. There was a wooden walkway that went from the shed to a nearby house's roof. I chuckled internally at seeing all of this. Insanity must of been the key to his survival. Insanity and boredom.

We stepped onto the roof and walked up the sloped side only to walk down the other side. The house next door had a hole in the roof along with a large metal door in that hole. As we stepped onto another walkway I finally figured out why I was uneasy. The ground around the wooden walkway was littered with decomposing bodies. I glanced up quickly and kept walking. Those bodies didn't seem exactly immune but not exactly infected either. Josh stayed silent as we walked still trying his best to seem normal. Tho his hood, tape, and covered eyes still screamed hunter while he wasn't acting like one.

Dominic opened the door and waved us in. As Josh and I stepped into the attic I knew Dominic still had his gun pointed at us as he closed the door.. "Just because I knew you, doesn't mean I'll trust you. You could be working for the military for all I know."

Dominic left us there alone for a few seconds before returning with car keys. "Don't get any idea. I'm gonna drive you and your..." Dominic's nose bunched up in disgust. "Friend, to town. There you can do what ever you want. Just remember this, if you ever come into my town again it won't be as pleasant unless you have good reason to be here." With that Dominic turned around and walked down the stairs. Josh and I followed behind him silently. Any word from us could be our last.

As we reached the garage I seen something I hadn't been expecting. A Hummer 3 outfitted with a plow and machine gun on the roof. I had a feeling that wasn't all that was tricked out about this vehicle either. " Get in the back." Dominic's voice echoed in the room as did his door slamming shut. I pushed Josh around me and into the vehicle. He seemed to get the idea and got in first. I quickly climbed in after him.

The garage creaked opened up in front of us. "Buckle up, while this might be zombie hell I'd rather not have you go flying through my windshield." Dominic's voice was tight and constrained.. Very soon I had myself and Josh buckled in. The tires squealed as Dominic peeled out of the garage.

I was glad we had our seat belts on as soon as the car fishtailed out of there and headed toward the hills. "Yeehaw!" Dominic's cry of excitement from the front did not stop me from nearly pissing myself as we nearly missed a large, rusting, eighteen wheeler. The hummer rounded a bend sharply and started heading up the winding road alongside the hill. Common infected, a jockey, and a spitter, bashed off the front of the hummer as we swerved up the hill.

I felt the familiar feeling as if I was on a roller coaster in a amusement park. After topping the hill the ride down would be even curvier if the roads were in good condition. Luckily for us abandonded cars weren't on the itinerary list for this road as we topped the hill. The driving seemed to become more erratic and scary as Josh and I were literally slammed into each other time after time. The hummer was nearly tipped over from time after time from the turns.

Wandering zombies turned into piles of gore as they went flying. The hummer ripped it's way through the infected. If my stomach was any sign I was definitely feeling it lift and fall as we went over some humps. Suddenly I seen it, relief flooded my body as it came into view. The main straight stretch was only a few minutes away. After that it would only be 15 minutes till we got to town.

Dominic drifted onto the straight stretch. My stomach seemed to protest against that. We flew by memorable locations, the fishing shop, the ranch, those fancy houses on the right side of the road. Before we knew it we were barely ten minutes from town. My stomach was showing me how it was upset at the extremely terrifying ride we had just taken. Dominic slowed as we neared the interestion leading past the high school and toward town.

Fear crept into me,or was that rising vomit, at the sight ahead. A blockade sat directly on the side leading to the town along with a CEDA trailer blocking the road beyond that. The car stopped next to it. "Get out. You're walking the rest of the way. Don't come back Wolfy. I'll shoot you next time you show up in my town." Dominic glared at me through the rear view mirror. Josh and I quickly exited the vehicle with our guns and supplies.

As soon as we were out Dominic spun the wheels out and went down the road leading to the right. Josh and I were once again, fighting our way to our destination. I don't know why Dominic wanted us gone, nor why we were still going to go to my hometown. I sighed and started walking toward the blockade. Who knows maybe we could take shelter there or find something out.

I looked up at the blockade from where I stood. The CEDA trailer was parked exactly blocking off the road if you got past the blockade. I glanced over at Josh. Well this wasn't going to be easy.

Sighing I slung my gun back over my shoulder and backed up. I took a deep breath and took off at a sprint. Leaping at the fence I caught onto the wires. Slowly the wires cut into the skin on my fingers as I climbed up and over the barricade. I landed rather clumsily on the other side. Josh on the other hand just jumped onto the top of the CEDA trailer and waited for my clumsy ass.

Grunting I pushed myself up off the ground. Pebbles stuck in my hands. "Ugh, you know Josh, I'm starting to hate CEDA more and more. Their road blocks and incessant want to be where we want to be blocking every road we want to travel." I heard a growl that must of been agreeing with me from the top of the trailer.

Stepping over to the trailer I noticed that the stairs leading up to the door seemed quite unused. I opened the door and stepped in. What I saw shocked me. Papers were everywhere. Maps, clipboards, even some information about the special infected. What ever had happened here had made CEDA leave in a hurry. Maybe that's why Dominic wanted to be rid of me.

I started riffling through the papers. I started seeing names I recognized, maps of places I remembered, orders for evacuations at the high school and the old high school in town. The old high school had been turned into a museum tho. I kept searching through the papers. I convinced myself it was research.

Suddenly a name sprung out at me. It was my aunt. She had refused to leave her home, shotgun in hand. I smirked at that. Sounded like my aunt to be a stubborn old fool in her late 60's. If anything I knew she had gone out fighting.

I sighed and put the paper to the side. I didn't wish to tarnish the memory with visiting her place. On the other hand Melinda might want to see that this was her grandmother. I quickly went back to searching through the papers.

Many more reports and names I recognized. My neighbor was seen hitting zombies with a frying pan. The report said she was doing quite well holding off the hordes. A few more pages in and it said that she had killed a hunter, who just happened to be one of her ex boyfriends, with a baseball bat. The last page on her said she had been bitten.

Finally it hit me what I was reading. CEDA, the military, they had been evaluating those living in my hometown. They had watched them till they were overrun. The rescue was a false alarm. Those who didn't leave were made into test subjects. They knew those who didn't leave would be the perfect example of how the survivors would try to survive. How to make the infected more deadly.

I gasped,my revelations were not to be taken lightly. If what Dominic had said was true. The military, they were experimenting on survivors to make the infected stronger. To make them better. A growl from the doorway warned me of Josh's presence. I sighed and stepped back away from the table. My mind was reeling. The good guys turned out to be the bad guys all along.

I felt my voice crack. "Josh, they were... They were experimenting on people. They were trying to make the infection worse. Maybe that's why it's quieting down. The military is on to something and their going to start another infection. A whole new wave of immune survivors becoming infected. The why is my only concern. Why infect over eight million humans in the first place?" I felt like I was back in school working on a game of "Clue." Slowly I slipped down to the floor and bunched up. My head laid on my arms and I thought and thought.

Another five minutes of sitting around thinking I sighed and stood back up. What ever they were doing, and why ever they were doing this was of no good to me right now. I went back to searching. Maybe there was something about my parents in all these papers.

Then I found it. Tears stung my eyes. I choked on the sobs wishing to come forth. I held in my hands the list of evacuated survivors. My parents were on the list. Their helicopter had crashed into the museum. The pilot had tried to attack them. A hand touched my shoulder. I turned into the person. I grabbed onto his hoodie and cried. I felt his other arm wrap around me.

I cried hard into his hoodie. My parents had always been there. Tho I hadn't told them my secrets like being gay or other things. They were always there for me. I loved them dearly. Finding out they had died, that hurt. Worse than I think even seeing them infected would of.

After a half an hour Josh and I found ourselves on the floor, me in his arms and sniffling. I had just met Josh almost three days ago, and we had seemed to be through so much in such a short amount of time. In zombie hell tho, ten seconds with a person and you might remember them for a lifetime. I stood up suddenly. My body seemed to go into automatic.

I walked out the door and turned to the ladder built into the side of the trailer. I grabbed onto the first wrung and started to climbed up the ladder. I pushed myself on top of the trailer and quickly crawled over to climbed down the other side. I checked my M-16's clip, half full. Just enough to make it to town. I don't know what I was thinking as my feet touched the ground. All I could think of was running. I took off a sprint down the road.

Every random zombie I crossed, I shot. I heard Josh following me silently. I don't know why but he had decided to run instead of leaping in front of me or watching from a distance. I felt my body tense as I ran past the gas station, over the bridge, down the straight stretch, even as I neared the high school I had gone to, I felt tense.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I ran. I shot two random zombies on the bridge leading to the high school. My gun went click as I kept running I reached into my pocket and pulled out my last clip. I hadn't brought as much extra ammo thinking we would stop at a survivor colony and be able to restock.

Ejecting the old clip, I locked the new one in place. I cocked the gun. I started firing again as I ran across another bridge. I was almost home. Trees didn't just loom over the road anymore. Limbs and leaves littered it as I ran. I always loved this part when going home. To bad my enjoyment of this part was tarnished by the tears threatening to spill forth.

I passed the outside buildings, crossed the bridge, and ran up the hill and into town. I knew where I was going now. I was going home. My body was taking me home. The gun went click as I turned down the second street into town. Without thinking I flipped the gun and grabbed the barrel. The scent of scorching skin rose into the air. I bashed roaming zombies heads in with the base of my gun. I screamed out in rage as one zombies head went flying off.

One block, left at the intersection ,right immediately at the adjacent intersection. I seen the large white house as I turned onto my street. In front of the house I seen the old white Suzuki. I felt the need to cry stronger but I kept running.

I was almost home. Then I could lock the doors, go sleep in my room, and just cry. I slowed down as I reached my neighbors driveway. I slowly walked starting at the front of the house. A year without mowing hadn't been that bad. It was only maybe a foot up. The shrubs themselves hadn't over grown either having just been a year. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me. " Hello neighbor, what you doin back?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. That voice, I hadn't heard it in a year but I knew it so well. I also knew that voice wasn't right. There was something wrong. I slowly turned around. The first thing I seen was my driveway and porch, my neighbors driveway and garage, the dual trees in my neighbors yard. Then I seen it. Red eyes, red hair, and long fingernails. A witch, better yet, my neighbor, Brittany.

She smirked as she watched me flinch. "Didn't expect to see me still alive?" I could tell what was wrong now. Her voice was scratchy, as if she had once cried for a long time. I tried to open my mouth and the only thing that came out was something sounding like a choke and a gasp. Brittany laughed. I noticed behind her that Josh was just now turning onto my street. Had I really run that fast? I had outpaced a hunter. I looked back at Brittany as she stood on sidewalk between her driveway and mine.

"Hows it feel to be the last human that isn't immune, that isn't infected? How does it feel Steven? I remember being normal once. I remember having been at the bus stop with you. I remember watching you leave us all. I remember hitting these damn creature with everything I could, be it a frying pan to a baseball bat. Now look at me. I'm one of them." She was now walking toward me. Anger flaring in her eyes. Josh had slowed down seeing the situation.

"Why'd you come back Steven? Why come home Wolfy, why? Mommy and Daddy are dead so why oh why come back to this hell hole. You left them for dead if I remember right. Then the military. They offered to take us away. Only to send some of us to another hell. You're parents were lucky to die in that crash. My parents on the other hand. I watched them be torn shred by shred in front of me as my little sister and brother were devoured. Then I was infected. Now I have to live this hell." The anger and pain laced her voice. She stopped in front of me.

"I've killed people, Eaten people even. I'm a monster. How's it feel to be uninfected, I wish to know. Oh how I long to be like you." She narrowed her eyes at me. "How did you become so lucky to not get it? How come you were able to escape?" I gaped like a fish. Suddenly she lashed out. I felt her claws rip up my left and right arms. Ripping the tape and material off.

"You know before I started to remember it was nice being a witch. Just sit there and fucking cry!" To accent her words she scratched my arms again. Josh growled crouched down getting ready to pounce her. Then it happened.

"How's it feel to watch the world change in front of you. To go crazy from it all and grasp onto that one last hope at normality. How's it feel to have it ripped from you. How's it feel..." She slowly brought her bloodstained claws to her hands and licked them. "To know you're about to die. About to become like us? Please don't keep us in suspense."

I know fear was plain as day on my face. I felt the pain of her claws across my stomach, as if she was ripping it out in an instant. Time seemed to slow down. The first infected hit, the second hit, a bit of saliva falling from her mouth and into the wounds. If I wasn't infected now, I was dead. Then she was gone.

I felt deaf as I couldn't hear anything. The world seemed to moving in slow motion. It seemed like hours later when Josh and Brittany reappeared in my view. Brittany seemed to have a few scratches on her but she seemed fine. Their mouths open but no sound came out. Pain, all I knew was pain, I let loose a scream, tho nothing came out.

Was this what it was like to die? I felt like I was on fire. As if my soul was being forced out of my body. I felt myself being pulled two ways. I screamed again, still nothing. Brittany seemed sad as she watched me. Josh seemed angry but depressed at the same time. All of a sudden it felt like a brick hit me on the head. I blacked out.

All I could see was darkness. I screamed again, louder. Still nothing seemed to come out of my mouth. The darkness seemed to be trying to swallow me. Suddenly I seen an image of me being dragged up into the house. My blood smearing on the concrete.

Nothingness surrounded me again in an instant. After a while a gray mist slowly formed in the dark void. The mist seemed to materialize into something the longer it was there. Slowly a hunter took form. A nude hunter. He had brown hair, standing up he was around 6' 3", and seemed quite fit.

I walked over to him. He looked me in the eye and I stared right back into his glowing blue eyes. I raised my right hand he rose his left hand. As I placed my right hand in the air, so did he. His claws were longer than my hands but they almost fit. I once again looked him in the eye. This wasn't someone else. This was me.


	6. Insanity, Sanity, What?

I felt fur. What a thing to wake up to. Instead of opening my eyes up to see what was under my hand I kept them closed. Just ten more minutes of sleep. Just ten more and I'd wake up. After that insane dream maybe the next could make up for it.

Voices were nearing me as I laid there. "Really? He's decided to come back here to see his parents? Wow, must have been tough." The feminine voice sounded familiar but I couldn't mentally place it. Then there was a weird gruffer voice. _"He's really something. Been with him since my home town. Met his cousin, seen Pittsburgh,rode a train, met an insane old friend of his, and now I have to watch him become like us. Why did you attack him?"_ I knew he wasn't speaking English but I could understand him oddly enough.

I had a feeling I knew who he was but I didn't want to think about it. The mere thought made my brain hurt. If I could understand him it would mean something was very wrong with me, or I was dead.

After a few seconds the female replied with a sigh. "I don't know what came over me. Jealousy, rage, maybe even our childhood rivalry. I don't know. I just went into this mode where all I saw was red when I seen him. I wonder if he will forgive me for doing it."

A gruff chuckle came from beside me now. _"I think he'll forgive you Mrs. Spencer, but you'll have to make it up to him. Unlike us he hasn't had months and months of practice at being what we are." _I heard the female sigh in the background.

A hand touched my thigh. It was warm, and sorta rough while being soft at the same time. I gasped out loud. The hand stopped. You know I wish I could of slapped myself at the time. So instead I mentally slapped myself. "Ow!" Yes, I just yelled out loud for slapping myself mentally, and I just felt pain for slapping myself mentally. How bout that for weird?

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. The world seemed to swim as it came into view. " 'Ave anything else to 'ay?" I groaned again as my brain seemed to throb in time with the worlds spinning.

"Get this damn disco club out of my head!" Slowly the world seemed to come into view again. The throbbing was still going strong tho. It looked like it was evening if outside the porch windows were anything to go by. The white room with wood floors came into view. Windows surrounded the whole porch, even a large panoramic window into the living room to my right.

"I never thought coming home would involve me getting hurt." I felt like a ton of lead bricks were laying on my chest as I slowly sat up. "Ugh, this is the part where I joke about not wanting to go on the ride again. Sadly I can't feel even good enough to do that. Who built a lead house on my chest and decided to punch me four of five times?" I heard a small laugh come from beside me.

Looking around the room I spotted Brittany, Josh, and Wilbur. Wait Wilbur? I glanced back at the cat sleeping next to me. I slowly smiled at him. "I take back everything I just said. Coming home is so refreshing." Wilbur's purs seemed to vibrate my leg a little as he slept beside me. But he shouldn't have been alive. Nobody had been here to feed him, Patches, or even Papi.

I spun around and looked at Brittany. A smile was plastered on her face. "Yeah I kept your damn cats and dog alive." She laughed a little. "Plus their great company. Some of the other neighborhood animals decided to come round after I started helping your three. Guess I've become the resident cat lady." I shook my head at the thought. Brittany, an old cat woman? Never.

Slowly I pushed myself up. I was a bit wobbly but I was doing alright. "You know Steven, I'd recommend a week of not moving but I know you wouldn't listen." It was so odd seeing Brittany being so mature and offhanded about some things. Something was off about her. I turned back round and looked at her closely. She was wearing blue jeans, her New York hoodie, and she had her hair in a pony tail.

I tried to place what was so different about her. Slowly I stepped forward and took a better look at her. Then it hit me. Claws,red eyes, super skinny, witch, witch, she was a witch! I took a step or two back before running into someone. I turned around fast to see who it was. Josh was standing there. He looked directly into my eyes. I gasped as his red eyes burned into my soul. _"Think Steve, think. You need to remember what happened."_

The memory hit me like a ton of bricks. Papers, running, shooting, stopping, Brittany, ripping, shredding, tearing, saliva, infection, zombies, transference, contagious, infected, infected,infected! I fell to my knees. It couldn't be true. I couldn't be infected. A years worth of protection and good luck, a years worth of training,a whole year of running, and I caught it.

I slowly looked down at my heads. Tears stung my eyes. Claws, I now had claws. "No..." I fell down onto my knees. It felt like someone had suddenly stole what little bit of sanity I had left. I felt like I was going to be violently sick. Air, I need air, can't get enough air! Hyperventilating, I was hyperventilating, this can't be real. This has to be a dream. I closed my eyes. One, two, three, wake up, wake up, wake up! I opened my eyes. They were still there, I was still a monster, nothing had changed.

I spun around. Blood, there was a trail of it leading from the door to where I had woken up. I looked at my waist. I had bloody gauze wrapped around me. Glancing outside I seen the trail lead all the way to the carport. Where it had happened. Where my old life, human life, had ended.

Josh and Brittany just stood there watching. Who knows what they thought of me now. Maybe they resented me. Maybe they wanted me dead. Maybe they wanted to eat my flesh and internal organs. I had no idea. Air, breathe, remember to breathe Steven. Do not hyperventilate again.

Oh no, do not, do not talk to yourself in your mind, that's bad. Oh no am I going crazy? No, I'm perfectly fine. Perfectly fine. God, no I'm not! I'm a train wreck. I'm all over the place.

A warm palm connected with the side of my face. Slowly I turned to look into Josh's eye. "_Please stop being such a fucking drama queen and pull your fucking act together._" I blinked, not once but twice. The comprehension dawned on me. I really was insane.

Slowly I stood up and started backing away from them. Josh glanced over at me. I stopped where I was. Escape, all I had to do was escape. Run, get out, leave, survive. He took a step toward me. I took a step back, I felt the wood banister under the windows touch my back. I was trapped.

My world swam, suddenly I was back on my knees. Vomiting sounded like a nice thing all of a sudden. My vision went black. I was once again surrounded by blackness. Silence reined supreme here. Hours seemed to fly by in the darkness.

As I came too I noticed it was much darker than when I woke up the first time. I rolled my head to the right seeing Wilbur's tail disappear around the edge of the doorway. I slowly glanced up and out the windows on that end of the porch. Stars glittered in the night sky.

I sighed and slowly pushed myself up. I had finally convinced myself I wasn't insane and to stop being so irrational. Hours of nothing gave me plenty of time to think about it. I glanced around the room again. I noticed that the blood that had been there last time had been cleaned up leaving the floor a dark wood brown.

My senses were assaulted by the smell of sweat and blood as someone entered the room. I glanced over at the doorway. I smirked to see Josh standing there. "_Ya know, I always thought I'd wake up crazy. Didn't think it'd be after I died._" Josh walked in crouched on all fours. Only his greyish lips were showing. His eyes were hidden by the top of his hoodie. As he neared my form he spoke up. "_It's nice to see you back to your old self. I'm guessing this means the infection has set in."_

Sighing I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Now that Josh was almost over me I could smell him perfectly. Blood,dirt,sweat,infection, and a bit of musk. "_I guess this means my social life is gone."_ Josh sat back on his hunches and chuckled at me. "_Nah, just means the company is gonna be different. Ready to go see Brittany? I'm pretty sure she is ready to talk to you again"_ I shook my head slowly and smiled. That girl has always been trouble round me. Who knew it'd be her that killed me. I chuckled internally at that. I'd once joked that she'd "be the death me." Who knew I'd end up being serious?

Slowly I rolled onto my side and pushed myself into a crawling position. I stretched lazily like a cat. Josh chuckled at that. I rolled my eyes and without thinking about settled into the hunched over form like him. Josh turned around without a word and headed for the hall.

I don't think hall is an adequate name. As I stepped up into the room I realized how much of a comer stone it was. There was a closet offset to the left opposite of the front door. The Sears catalogs used to be in there. In front of me was actually a rack filled with DVDs. Actually the racked held VHS tapes till we had more DVD's than VHS tapes and needed the space.

To my right was a window with a table sitting in front of it with a printer on top. To the right of that and right next to the door way I just came through was a desk. A computer and monitor were set up. My parents had used it as their personal computer. This whole set up had been one of the few changes that came around after I got my own computer.

I glanced over to my left after taking in the corner of the room. I seen a square doorway for two, even three, people to get through. Right beside that on my side of the doorway was a small cabinet. Inside I seen a marble Amtrak locomotive along with our other prize possessions. I smiled realizing that unlike so many other homes in America mine hadn't been ransacked and destroyed.

Josh stepped through the doorway and entered the living room. Memories flooded back to me as I walked into the room. As I entered there was a rocking chair on my right, a table end with artistic deer lamps on my left , and between the table end next to me and a matching one on the other side of the room was a dark brown couch. My father and our dog had fallen on asleep on it many times. The cats also loved the lounge around on the top of the couch. I had sadly avoided the couch ever since we got the dog. Even after getting a new one I never sat on the couch. I had a bad experience after we got the dog and it haunted me ever time I sat on the couch.

I smiled as I looked right toward the door against the wall near the doorway I had entered. The door was to a staircase leading to the second floor. To the left of that was a fireplace with a beautiful wood mantle. Fixated in the middle of the mantle was a handcrafted wood clock. Behind that was a medium sized mirror. My red eyes gazed back at myself from the mirror. Trust me that was disorienting. Sure I'm infected now, but that was not me I had seen in the mirror. Turning around I stalked toward the television and turned right, another square doorway was in my path.

Across the dining room from me stood Brittany, sipping what seemed to be a cup of coffee. The dining room had laminated wood floor with a wood table and chairs seated in the middle on a small beige rug. Exactly on the right was another fireplace, most likely connected to the one in the living room. Next to it was a small bookshelf. Scrapbooks littered it. I turned left and walked around the table. Glancing to my left as I walked I noticed the curtains were still in place in front of the sliding glass door that took up mainly the whole wall.

Instead of a door way, or even an archway,the kitchen was connected to the far side of the dining room. There was a small indentation where the dining room ended and the kitchen began. The cabinets and counter top started beside the sliding glass door and went all the way down the wall, past the sink to make a sharp right, maybe three feet and then ended with a door to the small concrete back porch. Next to that was a tall cabinet, it housed the pans mostly. From there the counter started again for maybe two feet and then there was the over. After that there was another piece of counter then the refrigerator. The object of my, and my families boredom. Josh sat near Brittany who was leaning against the counter top on the far side. Next to her was the door to the back porch.

"I never realized how much you guys remodeled since I was young. Almost seemed like a new house when I came in to feed your cats." I smiled at Brittany. She was always kind to animals and sometimes people. It was rare that she was always nice but that was, because she had been hurt a lot in her past. This was probably the reason she had turned into a witch.

I stood up into a crouch and leaned against the counter closest to the dining room. I relaxed as my body realized there was no threat. Ever since I had woke up my body had almost been running on automatic. It was as if the rails had been taken away and I was expected to fly. I was stumbling to grasp onto the edges of hunter life. I could clearly feel a presence at the edge of my mind, screaming for living flesh.

Brittany's voice broke me from my thoughts. "So, here's what happened." Mentally I smirked, same Brittany, different species. " After you left, life went on as normal. Well other than some quarantine blocked off Old Martins and a fence had been built around the town where that nut job Dominic lives. Both odd events to most of us who had no idea what was going on. As soon as you were gone out internet and news was cut. We could call each other but a phone call to say The Wells Inn, that got you a disconnected tone." Brittany stopped talking and took a sip of her coffee. I had heard rumors that some reformed infected had certain items or foods that helped keep them human. I'm stabbing in the dark but I think Brittany's was coffee.

After a few moments of silence Josh urged her on. She nodded slowly, seeming to have been lost in thought. " Well it was two days after that that they blocked us in. That company, CEDA? I think that's their name. Anyway the told us some disease was going on and they wanted to treat us before it got here. Obviously there was a whole group that flocked to it. Mostly the druggies who thought they might be able to use this medicine to get a new high. To bad what ever it was came in a needle and was liquid. After the second day they closed the doors to new people claiming they had to wait on a new shipment of the stuff. That's when it finally hit. Yeah, some cure, instead of preventing the infection, it started it. The first known victim had actually crashed his car into the gas station. The second had been a lady in the library. She started heaving madly and was knocked out afterward. When she awoke with people around her she lunged at someone and starting clawing at them and tried to kill them. Everyone was so shocked. It was only after she had drawn blood and was trying to rip out the guys throat that they hit her in the head with a fire extinguisher."

Brittany sighed deeply and did her best to knead her forehead with her claws. "After that it rampaged out of control. Soon everyone who had a gun and could shoot was doing so. The military did nothing. The fucking, military did nothing but sit back and watch." Brittany's eyes started glowing a dark red. " They sit on their lazy asses and they all died. Then they made a false fucking way out of here and killed those people too. What the fuck were we thinking trusting the military?" I got up off the counter and walked over to her. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. _"Don't worry, we'll get those bastards. Is there anything else we need to know or shall we just end it there?"_ Brittany shook her head slowly after seeming to think on it for a bit. "Nope, that's the general rundown of what happened."

I sighed deeply and let her go. I turned around and started walking toward the dining room. I smirked as I fell into the familiar routine if pacing between the two rooms. My mind deep in thought about what happened, and our future now. The military was up to something. Attacking or forming a rebellion was bad news. So many survivor outposts had had help from the military some times, Even that cruise ship I had heard rumors about last spring had turned into a survivor outpost. Then there was the fact the military had big guns and didn't play fair. No, no, no, any attack on the military now would be instant death. We had to gather more Intel and an army, and maybe even guns before we attacked.

I stopped next to the dinning room table. _" Any attack on the military would end in disaster now. We'll have to see about reconing some old thrown together bases." _Turning around I noticed Josh and Brittany were a little surprised. Josh was the first to speak. _" You seriously want to take on the military? I knew you were suicidal the first night we slept in the same room together but seriously, your this crazy?"_ Brittany raised her eyebrows a little at that. I knew she had more to say on Josh's Comments but didn't say it. Deciding it was time for bed, and to get away from this conversation, I turned right and walked into the hall. I didn't even say goodbye, I just left.

After getting lost for a few seconds I entered my room. The light blue walls, the shaggy red carpet, and the always semi inviting bed. While it was quite dusty in my room it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My desktop, computer, bookcase, heck even the posters and curtains had at least a few centimeters of dust. I yawned, clearly tired and not really caring about the house guests, I closed the door behind me and took off my shirt revealing my changed body. The once chubby guy was now replaced by a four pack man. Yawning again I just stepped around the room. The l shape helping me have time to also take off my belt before I slipped underneath the covers, and flipped the pillow. I was out like a light and fast asleep on the fuzzy blankets.


	7. Waking Up Again, and Again

Warm, fuzzy,comforting,pain... My eyes shot open. The white ceiling above me not helping relieve my pain as I try to slash at the air. It felt like pins and needles were being jabbed right along every blood vessel in my body.

A hunter's screech interrupted my pain. Well interrupted till I realized it was I who let loose such a screech. My eyes bugged as I lay there withering on a nice bed. A bed that I had no recollection of getting on, a bed that I had no memory of being near for almost a year.

My body convulsed strongly and I felt as if I might start foaming at the mouth. The door slammed open hitting the white ball stopper hard. I felt hands, or were they claws? Lift me off my bed and pull me out of the room and into the bathroom. As the person led me toward the toilet I stumbled falling out of their grip face first into a crouch. My head toilet seat level which was lucky for I then preceded to vomit into the toilet.

A vile red and black mixture exited my throat into the toilet below me. I gasped for air after the first portion left my mouth. I gagged as my throat burned, the feeling of something disgustingly viscous going up my throat and out my mouth. The liquid seemed more black with red chunks mixed in.

I didn't even mentally question what that was or what I was throwing up. All I knew was I wanted it out of my body and I wanted to stop throwing up. A hand... or was it a paw? What ever it was rested firmly on my back. A gentle hum of almost calming capacity started from behind me.

I felt another round of vomit with chunks start up. What ever it was start making my throat feel dry and almost as if I was trying to throw up something that wasn't there. I believe they called it dry heaving once.

You know that impending doom feeling? Yeah, I sure did when I felt my body convulse. Losing all grip on reality and falling onto my side. My eyes had started to become focused and then unfocused on the white tiles around the bathtub. Something dark was standing over me was either yelling or growling at someone out in the hall. The thing in the hall disappeared quickly and the dark thing over me reached down and placed... I think it was a claw on my cheek.

Not long after the thing in the hall disappeared it reappeared with something big and dark. The dark thing over me took something white, I think it was toilet paper, and cleaned up the vomit drool. After that the thing in the hall walked in and the dark thing that was over me and it took the dark fuzzy thing and put around me.

As soon as they had it wrapped around me I realized just how cold I had been. The two things backed off. The dark one telling the other to do something I think it was speaking English or was that something else it was speaking? Maybe I could get some sleep now... After all these things around me are quite warm and comfortable. Who ever, what ever they are won't mind if I take a nap.

Boy it's warm. What am I wrapped in? Mmm What ever it is I don't wanna wake up. It is so cozy. Wait I'm in fuzzy blankets? I don't remember falling asleep in fuzzy blankets. My eyes blink open only to shut them quickly. It was so bright. I wish they would turn the darn lights off. I was about to voice my complaint. It was only then I realized how dry my throat was.

I coughed a few times and shook my head trying my hardest to remember what happened. Nothing came to me. Out side the room there was a shuffling sound. I looked up and seen a witch, not just any witch tho, it was my old neighbor. She smiled at me sadly when she noticed I was awake. She stepped over and closed the curtains on the window above me." Forgot how much you hunters hate light." I tilted my head to the side in confusion. Brittany's smile faded as she realized I had no clue what she was talking about. "He said this might happen. I had hoped was wrong. Give me a second and I'll get him for you." I was about to ask her who but she had already turned and walked away.

It was maybe ten minutes before Brittany reappeared with a guy in a hoodie. He was kinda cute with his dark attitude. I yawned and snuggled a little in the covers still not totally awake now. "_You said he was showing signs of memory loss. How much do you think?_" I noticed his lips seems to moved less than before but I could still hear the words as if it was natural English. She tilted her head slightly to the side. "He seems to know about the infection from the slight fear in his eyes when he first saw me but I don't think he remembers last week, or maybe longer, at all." The hunter looked at her and nodded slowly. "_Don't worry then. He needs his rest. He will remember the rest tomorrow. The fever is finally going down now that he is in here._" The hooded figured turned and walked out the door. "_Stay with him Brittany I need to prepare for tomorrow._" and with that he was gone.

Brittany stepped up to the door frame and leaned against it looking at me. Her red glowing eyes seemed to stare into my soul. "I know you forgave me once.. but I know it was the infection setting in. You were about as rational as a soldier fresh from a war zone when a car backfires." I felt pressure once again pushing my eyelids down. "I just want you to know Steven, I didn't mean for it to happen this way." I nodded into the blankets and tried to mumble something to her. To bad the blankets were covering my mouth and I was asleep again.

A light on the eye, so not a good way to wake up, again. Growling I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. A feminine giggle came from not far from me. I groaned and tried to bury myself deeper. A girl, here? Where ever here was, it was no place for a girl that giggles like that. I pulled the covers down from my mouth. " Who ever you are, please go away, I'm going to sleep another few minutes, the world has already fucking ended." Pulling the covers over my face I snuggled back into the blankets. A vague clucking of a tongue could be heard through the covers. " Now Wolfy, how would it look if you refused to help your neighbor?" I growled into the covered and pulled them down again. " Like any other day in my miserable childhood. Go away Brittany." Hadn't she ruined enough of my life when I was young?

A second voice joined hers but it was gruffer and sounded kinda like growls but almost like English.

" Rise and shine, training starts in an hour." The male voice sounded close but far away, possibly standing next to Brittany. Groaning into my blankets I tried to remember what ever training I would need during a freakin zombie apocalypse. Ugh what ever it was I better get to rising and shinning. Who ever it was sounded like he could kick my ass.

A few minutes later I walked out of the bathroom and entered my room looking for some new clothes. Stretching out I heard bones popping into place every a long, long rest. If how the bathroom looked and how I smelled were anything to go by I had been out of it another three or four days. Running a hand through my hair I opened up my old clothing drawer and found a nice red shirt I had gotten once Christmas. After donning the turtle neck red shift I put on some blue jeans. Searching around my closet I also decided on a Griffin hat from Bush Garden Europe. Feeling semi confident on my weird attire I stepped out of my room and headed for the busy sounding kitchen and dining room to the left.

Upon entering I noticed a Brittany in her New York hoodie bustling around. It wasn't the fact she was in my house that we weird.. it was her claws. It hit me like a train. Memory after memory came back to me, my neighbor being a witch, her biting me, my parents papers,the CEDA trailer blocking the way out of the county. Most of all, I realized that rough voice had been Josh's. As if thinking about him could summon him he walked through the door leading to the back porch. He was hunched over slightly like most hunters but something seemed different.

The life and emotion in Josh's eyes was missing from most hunters. A year ago I would of shot him on sight. Now? Now I was an infected just like he was. I chuckled softly without thinking as I stared out the sliding glass window at the morning sun. Light filtered through the trees as a bit of morning dew and and slight fog dissipated. If you had told me a year ago, I would become infected and not care, I would of shot you for insinuating the idea. I stepped over and leaned against the tiny corner that was there. Even just a year after Mother Earth was on the ball taking back what was hers. The streets and sidewalks were already slowly being overgrown with grass and small bushes.

A hand, or was it claws, rested on my shoulder. Sighing I turned around and gazed into his red eyes. "I've nice to finally get to speak to you. Much better than writing." He sighed deeply and glanced at the floor. His hand slipped off my shoulder. " I'm so sorry this happened to you. You just took off though and I just couldn't keep up. Anyway, Brittany and I will stand by you through this." I smiled a small smile. His lips twitched and a bit of fangs showed. No matter how normal he might seem on the external and even on the mental level. It was still a hunter. He was the ultimate infected and king. I chuckled softly. Maybe I loathed him for what he had, maybe I was just finally realizing how pitiful humans were. Either way I had always had a bit of jealousy reserved for hunters.

Josh sighed again noticing my mood and walked over to talk to Brittany. I smirked inwardly as I gazed back out the window from under my bangs. If life had been normal we'd be in our senior year. If life had been normal I could be looking forward to a job. But now? The world I had grown up with was gone. Lives erased forever with the single infection of their bodily functions. A world of safety everyday to a world where you could end up dead for just walking out. Even in the cities with high crime rates they couldn't compare to this.

Shaking my head I continued to let my mind wander. I slowly folded my arms and leaned back. Something I would do all the time when in deep thought. I thought about everything from San Francisco, to seeing Josh for the first time, driving a train, seeing my cousin, those papers on her desk, Dominic, even coming home to see those papers in the CEDA trailer, and then Brittany. My mind wandered over my recent infection to how did I keep my sanity when hunters and witches usually lost it for months. What as I?

With that thought I glanced down and raise an eyebrow to the claw like fingers I had resting on my arms. Looking back up and out the window my mind traveled over what I might be from a male version of a witch, if that is even possible, to a hunter, to even the scary possibility of a jockey. Shaking away the last thought I let out a deep sigh and turned around. Josh and Brittany seemed to be conversing over by the cabinets. Noticing my gaze Josh looked over and smiled. Brittany looked to where Josh was looking and smirked a little.

Taking a deep breath I headed over to them. By now the Sun seemed to be on it's way down. Meaning I had been standing at the sliding glass window for hours just thinking. I shook my head at the thought and smiled a bit. " So you decided to join the.. well I can't say the living since supposedly we aren't. You seemed deep in thought so I didn't want to interrupt you. It seems most of your mind has been repaired and you are ready to either learn how to be what you are or to ask hundreds of questions I can't answer. Brittany has a bet saying you would rather want to know how to be what you are. I say you are more curious and will ask questions." Josh smirked at me. Brittany shook her head Playing along I put my hand to my face and slowly scratched my chin with my claws. I already knew my answer but I wanted to humor them.

" I want to know what I am." I replied slowly. Brittany's grins seemed blinding. " I told you he would want to know. You may have had more personal moments with him but I've lived next to him most of my life." To finish it off Brittany stuck her tongue out at Josh before walking off to go do something else.

Josh shook his head and stared at the ground. " Damn I thought for sure you were going to ask questions. Oh well the other is more entertaining." With that he looked up at me and smiled. Slowly placing a hand on each shoulder I waited in anticipation for what ever he was about to say. " So do you want cranberries or shall I go find some carrots?" My look of complete confusion had him doubling over in laughter. With his hands now wrapped around his sides as he laughed I stared on curiously.

I mean seriously, what type of question was that? " Carrots obviously." To which only furthered Josh's laughing. Finally after a few minutes of letting him get that out of his system he slowly stood up and put an arm around my shoulder guiding me toward the sliding glass door. Stepping out onto the porch he closed the door behind him before putting his arm around me again. We stepped down the steps and onto the small driveway. Josh finally sighed and patted me on the back as we turned left and started walking down the street. " It's amazing that this happened. I swore to Brittany if you became a common I'd kill you myself. Then you go and become what you are. It's almost like someone is playing with us eh Wolfy?" Josh chuckled softly at that. "Brittany tried her best to explain the nickname."

Continuing past homes I had once delivered papers to I realized how many zombies there weren't. I realized how empty this town really was. "To tell you the truth man, you should be just a common, or better yet dead. Instead your a hunter like me." At that my eyes snapped over and looked at him in shock.

" I know you might of guessed it and you might of suspected it but... let it sink in. You are now infected, you are a hunter. Hard to believe a tiny infected did that." Josh turned and looked at me smiling. " A few days ago you woke up and acted perfectly fie and knew exactly what was going on and was making large assumptions. The reason for that is simply the infection. The first two weeks it will rage through the persons body and near the middle the person will awake knowing and remember everything only to pass out not long after and going in and out of consciousness till the end when they wake up infected and either remember something or forget it all." Josh put his hand in his pockets as he continued to walk.

" I thought you should know before we get to where I want to preform what most hunters don't need, training. You need it for you inability to just rely on instincts at this moment. After a few minutes of walking we reached the end of the street and where it connected to another street. "Here we are. A nice large hill to practice on." Josh's voice seemed to carry a bit out here. I glanced over the metal barrier of the end of the road down the hill to the house below. In a way it made sense. To practice where the most pain I could get was rolling onto the gravel from a fail.

Josh turned and smirked at me. " Last one to the shed gets dinner" With that he turned, and sprang forward leaping through the air . He landed right before the driveway maybe 50 feet from where I stood at the bottom of the hill.

Taking a gulped I tried to imitate his leap. Yeah, glad he chose a hill. I fell and rolled to where he had landed first. Sighing I picked myself up ad looked at where he had gone. If this first experience was anything to go by then training was not going to be fun.

**Authors Note**

Long time no update. Sadly that is the result of being a senior in High school and having a project for everything it seems. Doesn't help that I also bought Minecraft and keep getting distracted. I felt this chapter helps explain the infection a bit more in detail and showing a bit more of the final process of the infection. Reviews are much liked.

No promises when the next update is but I do know there will be more than 5 before 2012. How do I know that? For summer and Collage will allow me more time to relax and write compared to right now.


	8. Hunter Training

Taking another leap Josh landed on a tree limb then used his momentum to push him off again and leaped onto the roof of a shed at least twenty feet away. Taking in a deep breath I pounced up into the tree, but unlike Josh I was stupid and just sat there. An earth shattering crash latter and I was on the ground with a branch the size of my wrist under me. A deep rumbling chuckle came from where Josh was at on top the shed. " Try again tender foot." Twisting around I glared up at Josh. " What the hell did you expect? I never learned to swim and jumped like a pansy. Do you expect this to be cake?" Josh laughed again looking down at me. " Do it again. Pretend your a frog and push. It's not like your running the mile."

Turning round I pushed myself up off the ground mentally cursing out Josh. Crouching down I pushed down forcing my body up. As I flew through the air I head a voice. " Tuck in now!" without thinking I listened and tried to get as scrunched up as I could. I landed and rolled on to the roof. Well I did it, do I get a break now? Letting go I stood up and turned to look at Josh who was shaking his head. " Kid you need to land on your feet or roll and be ready to go again. Come on, don't you know anything about parkour?" I growled low in my throat. " Yes I know about fuckin parkour! I had a freakin hunter teach me in New San Francisco. I mean hell this isn't like parkour this is a bunch of leaping and pretending to fly. I mean what the fuck?" Josh chuckled, " Again rookie and stop your bitching. Try and go with the flow, pick out targets before you get to them just like parkour."

I glared after Josh as he jumped off the building and landed on the ground before bounding off into some trees, using it as a spring board, landing on the ground, then pushing off that and onto a house across the way. I let loose a snarl and jumped off the building after that snarky bastard. Using the ground like Josh did I jumped and propelled myself so the soles of my shoes faced the tree, using my momentum I kicked off it as hard as I could. Reaching out like I was super man I slowly relaxed into a ball and rolled as I hit the ground, pushing off the ground as I finished the roll. Maybe the bastard was right, maybe this was like parkour after all. As I landed on the houses roof I felt shingles dig a bit into my wrists and my shoes slide.

Glancing up I looked right into Josh's smirking face. " Come on tender foot we have more practice to do before I let you go home." Josh jumped down off the house next to the garage and started climbing the gravel road up the hill. Sighing I followed him and dropping down off the roof.

A wave of emotions swam over me as we walked, rage at Josh for being so inconsiderate, embarrassment at how bad I was, then there was a bit of pity for no longer being human. Almost as soon as they came they were gone. After walking for a few minutes a thought popped into my head at how weird that was. Emotions just appearing and then rolling away as if it never happened. Maybe it was an infected thing

As we stepped onto the pavement I noticed the few zombies nearby. A female boomer sat in a chair and seemed to glance at us before loosing interest. A few common stumbled farther down the street. It was expected but it also hit me how many infected weren't really here. I was about to voice my revelation when Josh just took off.

Josh ran for maybe a foot or two before crouching down and leaping up onto a roof of a house to my right and then jumping from roof top to roof top. Feeling confused I crouched down and chased after him by jumping up onto the roof top and then attempting to follow.

When he came to the end of the street he stopped and sat there crouched. As I hopped from one roof to the ground, back to a roof, over to the shorter houses roof ground, tree branch too the face. Ow, ow... Okay that hurt. Covering my face I stumbled back from the tree and wobbled around for a second. After getting my barrings I shook my head and tried again to reach Josh. Hopping up onto the nearest house I aimed high to reach the one Josh was on, hoping I either over shot or landed perfectly, I mean missing it by an inch just hurts the ego a bit.

Hopping up onto the building I crawled over to where Josh sat hunched over, on the peak, gazing at the street and town below.

Memories swarmed my mind as I noticed the house across the way. An older woman had lived there and preferred her paper on the inside of the door. The house now was most likely abandoned and the fate of the senior... I shook my head and glanced at Josh. " So what got you so serious and hopping away suddenly?"

Josh glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Smelt something on the wind." Josh glanced over the town. Frowning I sniffed the air for a few minutes. After a few good whiffs I finally smelt it, thick and musky but kinda like that savory steak you smell on the grill. It was disgusting and alluring at the same time. Without thinking I took another deep whiff and started leaning toward it. Josh growled at me but before I knew what was happening I was flying through the air after that smell.

A loud obscenity behind me tried to drag me to the surface but I was so far gone smelling this weird smell. I ran on all fours across the grass and jumped over a fence and onto the house's roof. From there I pounced across the street onto another houses roof. Opening my eyes I vaguely recognized the large structure of the old school turned museum a few large leaps away. Closing my eyes again I leaped from the roof onto a fence and from there up onto another house.

The smell was getting stronger the closer I got to the museum. It's four large white columns stood out as I opened my eyes and leaped down onto the sidewalk in front of it. The two lamps on either side of me sat in waist high concrete, stone covered, blocks. As I started to walk toward the school I noticed the old log house to my right that was brought in for the museum and the old one room school house to my left also brought in for the museum. As I got closer individual red bricks started standing out from the town's largest structure. As I got to the stairs leading up to the doors I took another deep breath inhaling the scent.

Faintly I heard the landing of old tennis shoes on the sidewalk behind me near the street. Without thinking I turned left and started heading round to the side of the building. I picked up the pace as if I was being pursued which in the back of my mind I realized I was. Taking another breath as I passed the door leading to the gym I realized it was getting even stronger in there. Without thinking I ripped open the door. The old metal door didn't stay on it's rusty old hinges and came off in my hand. Letting it drop to the ground I stepped into the building. As I walked down the hall I noticed a few CEDA infected and a few normal and Military clothed commons staggering around.

As I passed a large metal door that would of lead to the gym seemed welded shut. As I kept walking I passed the more and more common infected. They didn't even blink as I passed, something I was still unused to. About halfway down the hall I passed some stairs leading up into the museum. Sniffing again I realized the smell was faint but was coming from down the hallway I was in. Turning my head I kept walking down the hall searching for the what I had decided was delicious smelling.

Again faintly I heard footsteps behind me on the carpeted floor. At the back of my mind I heard a panicked growl at being followed and I started almost sprinting down the hall searching for the smell. Passing another doorway leading to the gym I noticed out of the corner of my eye that it seemed to have become a temporary hospital for CEDA. Pushing a military common out of the way I jumped over the stairs and rolled before stopping and taking another sniff. It was to my left. Snapping my head I turned and headed for the thick metal door that covered what had once been the game room.

As I neared the door I kept sniffing and the smell got stronger and stronger. A smirk crept across my face. What ever smelled so delicious was in there. Using my claw I broke the lock in the door. Turning the knob I opened and stepped into what seemed to be a special room for supplies. Food, and ammo was scattered across the floor on the far right. Closing the door behind me I nearly freaked out at the sound of a cocking gun behind me. Slowly raising my hands above my head and curing my claws into fits to hide their abnormality I turned around and looked into the brown eyes of a blonde, around sixteen years old, female.

I coughed for a second and tried to remember how to speak English, already the infection was wiping away that part of me. "_I need help... I was being chased by a hunter... Can I hide out here?_" The female quirked her head and stepped forward lowering her gun. "_That'll teach you to not carry a weapon with you. What the hell are you doing here by the way?_" I smirked and stepped forward. "_I was following my nose. I thought I had smelt some steaks and went out for food. Then the hunter chased me._" The girl made a clicking sound at the back of her throat. "_This is a zombie apocalypse what did you expect?_" I smiled and laughed before said laugh turned to a cough. Bending over I coughed myself into a crouch. I could feel the concerned eyes of the girl on me. "_You okay? That's a pretty bad coughing spell._"

Without thinking I felt myself spring forward and pinned her to the ground. I put my claws on both her arms to keep her down and pinned my knees to her legs. Leaning down I took a deep breath inhaling the mixtures of musk, perfume, and meat. Smirking I looked into her eyes. "_If you would live I'd tell you to watch who you trust, but I doubt you'll get rescued._" The girl under me gasped and screamed as I lifted my right clawed hand and thrust it into her stomach, then raising my left claw and doing the same. It was almost as if it was in slow motion as I started ripping into the female below me. All I seen was blood spraying across my view and sometimes feeling something rather squishy or hard under my claws.

Suddenly there was a clawed hand on my shoulder bringing me out of my blood frenzy. Slowly blood dripped from my eyes and the feeling inside me of wanting to rip her apart died down. Without thinking I leaned down and bit into the tendons and started chewing. Behind me I heard a chuckle. " If only you could see yourself right now." I turned around, mouth full of tendon and looked at Josh slowly chocking my head to the right. His deep chuckle vibrated around the room as he looked onto me. " At least leave me a piece and some for Brittany." I growled deeply in my throat voicing my displeasure at such a thought as giving up my catch.

Josh raised his hand and backed away but the smile only got wider. His slightly red sharp teeth shown in the dim light of the battery operated lantern. Turning back around I finally got a good look at my catch and what I had done. Realization that I had just murdered a girl, and then ate her made me a bit woozy but it was over soon enough as I rationalized this is what I've become. This is who I am. Glancing down at the now blood soaked blonde hair. I questioned myself, was I really okay with this? Was I just being irrational when trying to rationalize? Was I really that fucked up to not care I had just murdered this girl and ate her when she had been trying to survive as I once had. Sighing I stood up and started to walk away.

Josh smirked at me knowingly. " It's hard the first few times. You keep trying to tell yourself this is normal, but then you realize that, they were human just like you had been. Try not to feel too bad we survive on meat and sadly I couldn't of stopped you if I tried." Hanging my head a bit sadly I stepped over to the door and stepped outside. Back inside I could hear Joshing going to work and gathering us some food for the next few days. I slowly stepped up the stairs and sorta mind numbingly started the walk home, trying my best not to think at all. It was better to just walk and not think at a time like this.

A/N: I have mixed feelings about this chapter but I do know that with it I do show this town is the home for another two or three before the group moves out. Yes the language of Infected and English has switched places with English being italicized and Infected being normal. This is also probably the only chapter to have a true authors note. I will try to update more but trust me anything sooner than a month between updates is rare. I would also like to say that I'm so happy to see all of your favoriting and adding this to your watch list. I appreciate reviews and I would love to hear what you all think of my story so far. Good, the bad, the ugly I take it all.


	9. The Calm Before the Storm

The chair felt hard and cool, but it was comforting. I lowered my head to the now dry, blood covered hands. I sighed deeply. "_Steven,please go and get me some eggs and milk from the store, here's some money." _Slowly I raised my head and looked into the eyes of my mother. I smiled at seeing her for the first time in a year. "_Gladly mom, I'd do anything for you. I've missed you so much."_ She seemed to smile then waver as if she was on the television. Then she disappeared completely. My smile fell and I looked down at the hard wood floor. My mother would sometimes ask me to go to the store to get her something and I would begrudgingly do it. Now I'd do anything to have that life back.

Sighing I glanced to my left. The outside world seemed dimmed in the dusty sliding glass door. The sun was now out and it seemed like noon. I laughed a little as I remembered all the games and things that used to happen on that deck. Memories whirled through my mind as I remembered Brittany, a few summer friends, and I having an "Ice Cream Sundae Shop" imaginary game where we made our own ice cream sundaes.

"Wolfy, how are you doing? I seen you come in and you looked... To be honest you look like a mess." My lips twitched up as I turned around to Brittany walking into the room. " I could be holding out better but... ya know.. it's weird. Being here, this way, seeing things I used to know and... knowing that nothing can go back to normal, that this is it." I chuckled a little looking back at the floor.

Brittany walked around the front of my chair and took a seat to my right. " All that's left of humanity are the structures and even those will fall someday." I let out a small laugh. " Hell whats left of the human race is banded together in little settlements. Barely able to repopulate the billions of dead and infected." Shaking my head I glanced up to see Brittany's mournful look. " We've seen it personally how much a virus has done. Something so small changed our world overnight. Heck rash decisions are the least of our worries with hordes of zombies and us special infected."

I leaned back in the chair and waved my hands toward the air before putting them in my lap. Brittany laughed a little at this. " Always the philosophical one. Just think what my eight year old self would say knowing I was sitting here having a civil conversation with the kid I used to torment." She let out another laugh. " I was a bitch to you in elementary school. It still boggles my mind how you could always forgive me so quickly for the hell I put you through back then, let alone recently when I attacked you."

I smirked and glanced up from where my eyes had dropped at the memories. " I guess I just saw more there. A kindness and heart that didn't show itself till High School. Kinda wish it had appeared earlier." Brittany shook her head and stood up reaching her claws towards me. " Care to walk with me? I think you need to clear your mind and a good walk might do that." I smiled and pushed myself off the chair. " Sounds like a good idea Brittany. Let us go for an undead walk."

Brittany laughed and stepped into the living room. " Where did you get your sense of humor? You never used to know how to take a joke let alone tell one till High School." I smirked and followed after her. " Helps when you have a lot of kids picking on you." Brittany stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind me. "Just wanted to let you know that the cats are little darlings. I never got to fully understand your pets but after spending so much time with them I think I fully understand the appeal. Their just like people." I chuckled at that and smiled at her.

Opening the door I stepped out into the cooling air and started walking down the street, hands in my pockets. I heard Brittany close the door and come running after me " Gee gonna take off already? What happened to walking with me?" I glanced over at her from the corner of my eye. " Decided I might need a head start if you lost your head." She waved at me and blew off my comment. "Please, I only do that once a month anymore. You just caught me at a bad time."

Our walk turned to silence after that. We mindlessly walked around the ruins that had once been our hometown. Grass two feet high in some locations. Concrete and tarmac was cracked and eroding away slowly. Rusting cars along the sides of the streets. At one time I was sure I was going to break down crying at seeing buildings that had been bombed during the final days. We had passed Josh but he seemed to know something and just kept walking passed us without saying anything. The sweet scent around the museum had dissipated and now it was starting to reek of death just like everything else in this world.

I sighed and frowned as we turned back onto the street where we started. No thoughts had really entered my mind but I felt more relaxed, as if I had just spent an hour talking to a psychiatrist. I glanced down towards the end of the street where Josh and I had started " Hunter Training" as I called it. Suddenly I saw cars moving down the street, a woman walking the dog, a jogger. Then just as quick as they appeared they disappeared.

I felt my shoulders slump and exhaustion over whelmed me. I stopped walking and just stood there, head hanging. A month after I left New San Francisco something must of happened. I started seeing things clear as day happening that wasn't happening. A residual memory if you will. At first it was startling but after a few months it has become the norm and I've just labeled it a side affect of this infection and my unstable mentality. Feeling a hand on my shoulder I glanced up into the worried eyes of Brittany. I smirked as memories flashed into my mind of all the times we played together, walked to the bus stop, and even fought with each other. People used to say we fought like brother and sister and only now did I realize it was because in a way we were.

I gave her a small smile and started walking again toward my house. Brittany seemed to hang back a bit before following after me. It was after stepping into the two story white house I noticed something was off. Turning around I saw Brittany sprinting toward the house. Storm clouds had gathered over us during our walk and as she neared the house the first audible rumble of thunder sounded through the silent valley. I stepped aside and held the door open till Brittany was in then I let it go and pushed it tight. Funny how even after the world ends you remember and do the most mundane things.

Brittany opened the hall door and stepped into the house. I followed behind shortly closing the door behind me and smirking at the once again programmed things into my mind from a normal life. The floor boards of the house creaked under me as I walked to the kitchen. Josh was leaning against a kitchen counter as he and Brittany silently conversed. I glanced to the left out the sliding glass door and noticed it started to rain.

Turning back toward Josh and Brittany I noticed they had fallen silent. Falling silent isn't a cause for notice tho, nor the alarm I now felt as I watched the two of them stand there, still, not even moving a muscle. If I didn't know better I'd of thought they were lifelike statues. Then I heard it, under lying the rumble of thunder was a vehicle. Not just any vehicle tho. I knew that engine anywhere after my first encounter with it. Dominic had decided to come to town.

My infected blood turned to ice. I glanced from Josh to Brittany. I spun around on my heel and dashed into the house. I started closing every curtain I could. I even locked the front door. I knew if Dominic came here he'd most likely blow off the doors but if he did I might be able to just speak to him through the dark windows and tell him I'm okay and ask him to leave that I was mourning or something easy. There was no way I wanted that infected hater to know what I had become.

Dominic had at one time been one of my good friends, I even grew up knowing him and his family and at one time almost because cousins, but that won't stop him from killing me. If my short experience was anything to go by then I knew he had finally broke. This is the world his mind had created and designed while talking to us about becoming a dictator and murdering people. The world he created when ever he was in charge. With it becoming a reality he seems to have finally cracked and become a psychopath which only wishes to survive on killing, food, and the smell of guns. He would rather die in an explosion than being bit or eaten.

I smiled a little bit I walked back into the kitchen to find Josh and Brittany moving and acting livid. They didn't know how Dominic was but Josh had seen him in passing and I assumed what he knew wasn't good. Brittany had probably heard of Dominic in passing but she didn't really know him meaning she was most likely following Josh's orders. Josh had closed the curtains for the sliding glass door and was locking the main door. Brittany seemed to be searching for something but I couldn't tell what.

As the thunder got louder so did the Hummer. I glanced over at Josh. " Dominic doesn't know where I live but there are only a few houses in this town. Three or four days of exploring and he will be on our doorstep." Josh nodded taking in the recent information. "Also, Dominic isn't one to back down. If you see him run and try and lose him before ever coming back near the house. If he's looking for us he might leave tonight and comeback tomorrow ready to explore the town for us or something. We don't know if he's here for us but lets assume he is."

I glanced over to where Brittany was searching through the kitchen drawers. Josh glanced at her then back at me, " She said she needed a pan to hit someone with. No idea why, she has those claws." Josh shrugged his shoulders and smirked over at me. I smirked back and continued where I had left off.

"We should probably start looking for a way out of town. If Dominic is here for us we need to be ready to go. Since most cars run on gas I doubt any of them will have any left but the buses run on diesel. Very few vehicle run on that so it will most likely still be down at the bus garage. We could load up a bus and get the hell out of here. Maybe Miss Spencer, after she finds her pan, can start getting a list together for what we might need. I'll try and get anything I want to keep to put on the bus. If we do use the bus tho, we need to make sure it isn't when Dominic is around." Josh's face twisted as he took in everything I had just told him. After coming to a conclusion he nodded in agreement and went over to tell Brittany. Sighing I backed out of the dining room and walked to my personal bed room.

It wasn't even ten minutes later that the rain started coming down. Lighting and thunder roared over the town. I shivered as I sat in my room in my swivel chair reading a book. The other two had went to do their own things I think Brittany was writing down a checklist of to-dos and needed items for the trip we were planning while josh on the other hand had bowed out saying he was heading to check out the bus garage and see if what I said held any truth in reality and not just theory.

Sighing I put down my book and looked around the light blue room. Memory after memory passed through my mind as I thought about who had lived in this room, how it became mine, what transpired in the room. I sighed and leaned back in the chair.

My mind wandered back to the last few weeks and what had transpired. I had been on my way to New York when a hunter decided to show up once again reminding me of home. Said hunter doesn't kill me but follows me on a train to Pittsburgh. The same hunter then walks beside me into Pittsburgh and meets Janis, and my remaining family.

Wait, Janis... Oh dear lord poor innocent, perverted Janis. I shook my head slowly as a smile formed. "_You know Steve, I think you should keep him. He might help you out in more ways than one._" I chuckled a little knowing what she was thinking. She had been one of the few people to get close to me when I had visited Pittsburgh. She was also one of the few people in this insane world that knew I was more interested in men than women. She was the only person to know that I preferred hunters to humans.

I giggled a little thinking about how ironic it was I had become what I had always dreamed of sleeping with. Janis and I would just go nuts and giggle and squeal about it. I was never the type of guy to be flamboyant in public but when I was alone with people like Janis I would just let go and giggle and laugh and be excited with them.

I shook my head and cleared my mind of the thoughts with a smile on my face. Then to round off the past week I had found one of my closest friends to be insane and hateful toward infected. Then after arriving at the town I call home I find out my parents are dead and I myself get infected by my neighbor turned witch. After that I went through a week of being sick and changing. And yesterday and today was filled with becoming a hunter, having my first taste of flesh, and now fearing for my life because I have become what Dominic hates and wishes to kill while one of natures best firework shows, thunder storms, go on outside. I let out a happy sigh as I took it all in.

If I died tomorrow I would die being mostly happy. I could die with that, for right now. Tomorrow I would once again fear dying and not have that positive of an outlook but insane situations and looking back are what I thrive on when all the odds are against me.

I sighed as another bout of thunder brought me back to reality. Glancing down at my book one thought entered my brain before reading again. Why hadn't Josh attacked? Why has he been following me? And with that I delved back into my book more interested in the lives of fictional characters than the fates of Brittany, Josh, Dominic, and I. Be it we get out of here okay, or Dominic kills us.


	10. Packing

"We're lucky, the buses run on diesel otherwise we'd need another plan. Also while I was out I decided to investigate what Dominic was up to. Seems to me he was scavenging houses for something, though he has given us a wide berth by starting on the far side. Doesn't mean he won't be here after a day or two tho. He really seems to be searching for what ever it is. Almost as if his life depended on it." I glanced over to Brittany who was watching the last of the storm disappear in the kitchen window as Josh finished. I sighed and rubbed my claws gently against my forehead. She wasn't much help at inspiring confidence and Josh's report was stressful. If Dominic was searching for something then it would be much, much better if we disappeared now. The part that hurt my plan the most tho was the fact his hummer was rigged with insane and almost impossible firearm configurations. It seemed like something out of a comic book or action movie.

I stood up and started to pace thinking over Josh's report, the bus would be a fast way out but much slower than other means. Perhaps we could plan out an escape route through the streets of town then try to escape on the main road? Lose Dominic in town and out run him to the border. I glanced sideways at the shotgun and machine guns on the kitchen counter. We could always shoot back but that would be a waste of ammo and time. If it all came down to it I could try to snipe from the back of the school bus if Dominic stayed on us even after getting out of town.

My gray cat, Wilbur, meowed and rubbed against my leg asking for attention I smiled down at him and bent down to pet him. I had washed the blood off in the rain when bored. Sadly my clothes were still bloody though you can't do much about that. Wilbur had been the talker out of all my cats. He was ornery as could be but so loveable. I wouldn't be able to leave them alone when we left. That was for sure if I knew Dominic well enough. He wasn't exactly the type to take to pets and I was pretty sure if his unstable mind came in contact with anything moving or breathing he would just shoot.

The boom of a shotgun a few streets away emphasized my point. Finally my pacing paid off, I had an idea. " Brittany, come here." My infected voice carried through the house. Stomping on the stairs from the basement could be heard and Brittany bust through the door. "What?" She seemed a bit upset at being interrupted from what ever she was doing. "When we go to escape we will need to you to stay here at the house." Brittany blinked at me once, twice, three times. "Are you seriously thinking of leaving me asshole?" I smirked at her. "No, but we need someone to keep the cats company as Josh and I get the bus." To this I noticed Josh just quirked his head a little at this.

Brittany stepped into the dining room and leaned against the wall. "So are you going to fill us in on this plan or should we guess it?" I smiled walking over to the curtains on the sliding glass door across the room from her and turned around to face them. "What we will do is load it up with anything we need to keep, blankets, personal items, etc. Then Josh and I will start the bus and lead Dominic, who will ultimately follow us, around town. We will finish by driving by and crossing into the churches parking lot. You will be here at the house with the two cats in your hands and will run to the bus as we slow to make the turn and get in. After that we will exit the base of the parking lot onto the street and head for Main Street, where we will turn left and head back to where Josh and I came from. CEDA may of blocked the road with their trailer but there is a farm across the stream and I bet that stream won't be too hard to cross at the far end if we are going fast enough. After that we will have left Dominic in the dust and will be well on our way to the Ohio River to start our trek to somewhere else."

Brittany raised an eyebrow skeptically. Josh on the other hand nodded once agreeing with the plan. " Now that that's decided let us get packing. Brittany you should go get any valuable or anything you just can't leave. I'm going to get the rest of my clothes and some items I'd like. Like our DVD collection, Xbox 360, PC.. Pictures... hmm I think the suitcases my family took to Disney help me out on this issue." I clapped my claws together and headed for the stairs in the living room. Brittany let out a laugh and passed me by heading to the front door.

I heard Josh follow me. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed he had his arms crossed. As I climbed up the old steep steps memories of my childhood on them, falling on them, and the fear of heights after wards rushed at me. As I stepped onto the second floor I glanced to the left. The second living room as I had always thought of it. The stairs were lined with a plaster banister with wood top and the room was just wide and open with a wood floor. It had been where a good portion of my youth was spent before heading to bed. It was, the second living room.

I walked around the banister and walked to the door at the other end, my uncles room when ever he visited. The floor in there was a vintage blue carpet. Only two windows but the bed and cabinet had been moved. Turning right I opened the closet door and stepped into it. There sat the largest of the suitcases we had. Inside it were the smaller ones.

Grabbing the handle I pulled it behind me as I headed back into the upstairs main room. Josh was standing next to the stairs. "Is your computer and Xbox really that important?" I laughed a little as I dragged the suitcases behind me. " Actually Josh, they are. They represent two times in my life where I just focused on something and made it happen." Josh nodded slowly as if understanding, though I doubt he did.

I picked the suitcases up and carried them down the stairs. "Now I have a question Josh. Why didn't you attack me?" As I reached the bottom I glanced back at him. " You know back at the house where we first met." I put the suitcase down and pulled it behind me again. I could hear Josh let out a little cough. I smirked at the obvious sign of discomfort. "What made you decide not to end my life? And don't give me any of that ' you seemed like me' bullshit." I stepped into my room and listened carefully as Josh stepped into the small hall behind me. I picked up the suitcase and laid it on my bed.

Turning around I looked at Josh. " So, why did you let me live?" I could barely even hear myself now. All emotion and energy drained from me with one question. His face seemed to only show a brief moment of shock before a blush started to stain his cheeks. "Long story." He glanced to the right and tried to focus on the mirror. Sighing I turned back around and pulled the other 4 suitcases out like a Russian doll.

Turning back around I started putting the rest of my clothes into one of the medium suitcases. "We've got the time and all I'm going to do is load these up with clothes, books, computers, and pictures. I'm sure we have time to get through your story, my story, and maybe even some other stories." Josh let out a deep chuckle. "Fine, I was hungry, you smelled delicious... and well... when I arrived I seen how cute you looked. I decided then and there I wouldn't eat you because I didn't want to harm your innocent beauty."

I slowly turned and smiled at Josh. "Do you really think I'm cute?" I felt my voice crack a tiny bit at the end and I blushed deeply. Josh let out a bark of a laugh. "Cute? When you were human you were cute. Now your gorgeous." My face turned red as I turned around and started loading the medium size bag with games, and CD's and other personal effects like my mouse and keyboard as well as their wires. I tried my hardest to take my mind off what Josh had just admitted to me be it directly or indirectly.

I had emptied out my clothes drawers and a few items wheel running the first time, I'd even taken the HD TV, I don't know why I left my computer tho. I wrapped all the wires and the computer up and lowered it into the largest suitcase then packed underwear and other articles I had accidentally left behind my first time. As I finished that up I opened my closet and took out year books, calendars, some old magazines, certain special stuff animals, and a few blankets. I placed these around the computer and in the medium small bag.

After I had finished, " loading up" as Josh had started calling it whenever he popped in my doorway, I headed out into the house to get photo albums, pictures on the walls and a few other things, like the entire DVD collection. After grabbing everything that had any meaning to me I had Josh help me carry my stuff to the bus we had chosen. It was sorta ironic but I had actually chosen bus 25 when arriving at the bus garage. Reason being that bus 25 was the bus I rode to school from Kindergarten till fifth grade. Also because I loved the number 25 after seeing bus 2525 in "Speed."

Pushing the luggage into the seats midway through the bus I heard Josh chuckle a little. Before I knew it I had slipped and fell down onto my knees. The skin stung as I looked up and glared at Josh in the drivers seat. He just raised his eyebrows at me and looked out the door to the "bus grave yard" as we had started calling it. Standing back up I brushed my hands off on my blue jeans and glanced out the windows. A few rows away I noticed Brittany walking lopsided with two duffel bags. As she neared I realized that she had changed her clothes and was no longer wearing her NYC hoodie and was in fact wearing a light blue jacket. If it hadn't of been for the red eyes and deadly claws I would of never suspected her of being infected.

Turning I watched as she climbed the steps onto the bus. Josh nodded his head at her as she passed him.

I spoke up as Brittany got closer. " So, here we are, about to leave the small town we grew up in. Any last words for the town?" I gave her a playful smile. She tried her hardest to grin. "I'd like to say I'll miss it. I never really wanted to leave but life here has become dangerous and I'd rather not die at a young age. Who knows, following you two around might be the most sane thing I've done since becoming... this." She waved slightly toward herself.

I walked toward her and placed my clawed hand on her right shoulder. She looked up into my eyes. I gave her the most comforting smile I could muster in my new state. " Don't worry Brittney. We'll be out of here in no time. Having adventures and having the time of our infected lives. I'm not gonna let you or Josh die. I promise you that." Brittany let out a sigh and gave me a thankful smile before pushing past me towards the back of the bus. I shook my head sadly and headed for the front where Josh sat.

As I neared I noticed he also seemed grim but more upbeat than Brittany. " She's right you know. This was her world and from what I can tell she has many good memories but the recent horrific ones haunt her the most. I think she'll be okay and go through with the plan, it's just making sure she doesn't mess up getting to the plan. Anyway you should go back to the house and sleep. I'll stay behind for a few with her and see if I can siphon a bit more gas for this beast." I went to open my mouth to reject his request, but Josh beat me to it and just waved me off pointing toward the town. " Bed, now, and if you don't go I'll bend you over my leg and give you a spanking." I raised an eyebrow and giggled. " Kinky." Josh choked for a second and hit me in the back of the head. "Bed!" I laughed and turned around stepped off the bus. " Okay, okay!" I glanced over my shoulder back at Josh and noticed he was looking a little red while laughing a little. I bent down and started my jump across town.

As I stepped into the house I felt any energy I had left in my body dissipate. This would be the last time, in my life, ever that I would sleep, live, and even see this house in a world not of two dimensions or in a memory of three. I touched the wall as I walked toward my bed room. The wooden walls recalled memory after memory of arguments and birthday parties, to Christmas and Easter. As I stepped into my bedroom I noticed Wilbur and Patches curled up on my bed as if knowing what tomorrow would bring. I looked out the Lionel curtains. At the dusk that was setting.

I wished I could take everything. That I would leave nothing behind. I had already got most of what I could and loaded it onto the bus. Tomorrow would be the last batch of things, like these curtains and a few other oddities, but I was taking the curtains more to protect other items, like my model trains or my mothers glass cat, even the beautiful glasses, and other valuable items from my great grandmother and family members I had never met.

Even with all that though there was so much more I wouldn't be able to take. The feeling and smell of the house, VHS tapes, paintings, a few posters, a few blankets and sheets wouldn't be able to go, even my extensive Brio trains would have to stay here in the basement. To some, these things shouldn't matter. That these are all unneeded items. Unlike other though, I see history in items. The world as we knew it ended and we are rebuilding a new world in this infected infested world. It will be historically beneficial to collect our history and save it. Not to mention it helps me sleep better at night knowing I had a reason to take most of my stuff with me.

Sighing one last time I slowly crawled onto the bed and laid between the two cats. My eyes slowly closed as I drifted to sleep. My mind wandered over all that has to be done and all that has been done. Before sleep took over fully I had one final thought, would we be able to do all this? What if it is for nothing and Dominic blows us to sky high tomorrow? With that I feel into a deep unsettling sleep.

**AN:  
** For this chapter I'd like to thank Inki Veins, doodle808, Jacoba16, kibaxnaruto, MaddieCausesMisery, and LeapingSpirit. You all have shocked me and left me in awe at your kind words and have shell shocked me with the attention and thought you put into your reviews. I have taken everything you told me to heart and I am examining it all closely.

Normally I don't do author notes but the recent exposure to a wider audience and many more reviews I feel obligated to thank you all.


	11. Speed

A pale mist floated across the ground in the mornings crisp air. Sighing I glanced back into the house where Josh was getting the guns ready to be put back into their crate and Brittany was chasing the cats down putting them in the two cat carriers. Turning back around my gaze fell to where I had been looking, a small field next to Brittany's house. As I stared into the distance I let the stress and nervousness of today's tasks just float away. We could be trying anything and I would believe it was going to go well. A tiny voice in the back of my mind called bullshit.

The silence of the apocalypse almost seemed oppressive. A bird chirped in the distance, a common moaned, somewhere I heard a wheezing cough of a smoker. None of this mattered though. The reason we were leaving was asleep and to the best of our abilities we had packed up and were trying to escape.

I let out a relaxed sigh and turned around heading back into the house. I glanced over at Josh as I started heading toward the front of the house where Brittany was waiting. It seemed Josh was finishing up an AK-47 before placing it in the crate.

Walking onto the front porch I noticed Brittany was staring out the front window towards the church. I stepped up beside her as she glanced over at me. "Today is the day Steven. The day we get out of here and start our new lives as infected friends." I smiled and looked at her from the corner of my eye. "Yeah it is Brittany, as soon as we are out of here though, lets drop the formalities and other bullshit. Just call me Wolfy. I have since dropped the name Steven."

Brittany turned back towards the front and smiled a little. " Okay Wolfy, if that's who you are." With that she turned softly and took slow steps out of the room to go do something else. I sighed and crouched down next to the cat carriers. I smiled at Wilbur and Patches. If anything at least we'd all be together.

A half hour later and Josh and I were lugging a crate of weapons and the last of the items onto the bus. Brittany had said she was going to say one last goodbye to her dead family and her home. I knew this was going to be hard for her, leaving the only family she had had left. Even now that they were dead, it would haunt her till the end.

I took a deep breath and let it all out slowly. My nerves were up the wall for this mission now that we were acting on it. A shotgun blast in the distance told me that Dominic was now awake as well. Slowly I made my way to the crate Josh has found filled with guns. I randomly pulled out The AK-47 Josh had been working on and grabbed a few ammo clips that looked like they would fit in the gun.

As I turned around to give Josh the go ahead I felt the world slow down. We were just about to take on the most insane thing I've done since hijacking a one year old train, that I had no idea if it would turn on or blow up. Time sped up as Josh and I locked eyes. I felt unable to say a word and just nodded as I stared into his red orbs. Josh smirked and turned around facing the front in the drivers seat.

The dread and impending doom I felt was like a weight as Josh turned the key. The engine sputtered and started coming to life after a year of no use. The shotgun shots stopped in the distance. I watched as Josh closed the door and put the bus into gear. If I hadn't of known the general workings of a car or truck I would of thought he was trying to fly a 747.

It was when we started moving that I realized what the hell we had just gotten ourselves into. A few wandering zombies that had been ignoring us till now came running toward our loud moving machine. Climbing onto one of the seats next to me I lowered the window and poked my gun through. Within seconds I had taken care of that small threat and was feeling more confident in the plan. Josh swerved out of the bus garages heading right before turning onto the road leading to a bridge. I felt the gravity force me against the wall as he took the sharp corner at a speed a bit higher than ten miles per hour.

Crossing the bridge I watched as Josh swerved over the lanes to the far side to take a wide turn to the left onto the road leading to Main Street. I was hanging onto the seat in front of me digging my claws in as we made the turn. As soon as we were out of it we turned right and started heading up the hill to town.

The sound of an another engine starting reached my ears. Spinning tires and the gunning of a Hummer sounded like death to me. I felt the bus lift up a bit as the bus topped the hill and we started passing the businesses and old cars on Main Street.

We passed one street before I head the squealing of tires behind us as a Hummer from hell drifted onto Main Street. As we neared the gas station on the right side of the street I shot out the window in of the emergency door and started firing bullets at the Hummer. I quickly glanced backwards and watched as Josh wide turned the bus onto the street beside the Library. Unlike how it had felt at ten miles per hour to turn at twenty miles per hour was literally knocking me into the seat by my side.

The engine of the bus gave a leap in gears as it sounded like Josh gassed it heading straight for the small gravel pathway next to the local carpentry store. This was not part of the plan. We were supposed to turn left here and lose Dominic in the streets, not go off-roading through peoples backyards.

Quickly I stood back up and started firing again at the Hummer drifting behind us trying to get in line with our bus. I could hear gunshots as the machine guns under the Hummer came to life. Quickly I ducked down and leaped toward the front of the bus.

Josh swerved left onto the gravel path. " Shit, no road!" I was surprised I could even hear Josh over my heart pounding in my ears. Instead of letting off the gas like I expected Josh gunned it pressing the petal to the metal floor. The engine let out a roar as the bus crashed through a fence.

I sunk my claws into the plastic seat and used it to leverage myself up. As the bus bounced over the grass I pulled myself toward the gun crate. Claw over claw I leveraged myself up. Upon reaching it I glanced inside for something useful. A smile spread across my face I noticed a few small, green, round objects. Without a second thought I grabbed one of them and turned around heading back to the back of the bus.

I managed to stay on my feet as the bus bounced over the ground by digging one clawed hand into the seats and using my other arm like a handle. Josh swerved left around a building as we bounced around the rough terrain. Dominic on the other hand went to swerve and spun out. His heavy tricked out vehicle getting the better of him. It only took a good five seconds before the wheels were spinning and he was back to trying to catch up with the bus.

After narrowly missing a tree on the left Josh pulled the bus onto a gravel driveway before crashing through their hedges heading across a sunken garden for the street. As we pulled out onto the street I found Dominic was now at the least a minute behind us thanks to spinning out and not being able to get around the tree or hedges as easily. I felt a smirk pull at my lips as an idea rushed to me while holding the grenade. Why not make that time a bit more? As the Hummer started lining up with our bus I pulled out the pin on the grenade and threw it out the back window. Josh spun the wheel to the left and and we bumped over the curb so that we could make a fast right turn.

The grenade bounced on the road, once, twice, boom. The explosion in the road caused Dominic to brake, and brake hard he did. " Josh get us the fuck out of here!" I yelled over my shoulder. I felt the bus being jerked to the right and a slight sensation that told me this was too sharp a turn for this speed but we weren't going to tip over. As Josh straightened us out I heard the roar of the Hummer and the spinning of it's wheels as Dominic came after us again. I turned around and ran to the front of the bus.

I could see my house on the right side of the street. Brittany looked like a small dot with red on it's head standing beside the parking lot next to the church. "Josh take it about fifteen miles per hour on this turn and bringer down to at least five or so for the pick up. Then make a left and follow the road. Easier to get out there then where I wanted you to go originally." Josh nodded, taking in my directions quickly and seeming to mentally reinforce our already shot plan. I heard more squealing tires as the Hummer drifted onto the street we were on. Josh spun the wheel to the left and the bus popped up for a brief second before coming down hard on the tarmac of the church's parking lot.

Josh opened the doors for Brittany and I. Quickly I stepped off the moving bus to help Brittany. "You bus, me suitcase, go!" I yelled as I ran towards her. She nodded and took off at the speed of a pissed off witch carrying two cat carriers, after the bus. I ran as fast as a hunter could and grabbed the suitcase she had left behind. I turned on my heel and took off after the bus that was now making the turn left.

Without thinking I crouched down and pounced after the bus putting the handle in my mouth, biting down hard like I was trying to rip into a juicy neck I leaped over the bus and stood up running toward the end of the parking lot I had landed in. I could hear gunshots behind he as Dominic swerved onto the church's parking lot. As I neared the end of the parking lot I was on I watched the bus make the banked turn at possibly thirty. I knew this leap would all be timing and off one second and I would be screwed.

Time seemed to slow once more as I bent my knees and spit the suitcase out and grabbed a hold of the handle. I reached the arm with the suitcase forward as I took the leap. I felt my breath stop as I flew through the air. The bus seemed to inch closer as I neared. A quick mental thought told me I'd miss.

Then all of a sudden I felt metal dig into my stomach and I groaned. Josh snickered a little. " Oh Wolfy, that was so foolish of you, now get up and help us out." I glared at Brittany. I slowly pulled my legs in and reached my hand with the suitcase up to her. "Um, but thanks anyway for actually getting it." I mentally smirked as I could almost hear her embarrassment. The door closed behind my feet and the metal dug into my stomach more as we made another right turn, now heading straight back for Main Street, and the main route.

Groaning I reached up and grabbed the handrail, I ground my teeth together and forced myself to stand up on the steps. Taking a deep rattling breath I stepped up the stairs and started limping towards the back. "Brittany get a gun and shoot at him.." Coughing I knelt down onto my knee half way through the bus. I glanced over at Wilbur and Patches in their cages. They seem absolutely scared. Mentally I smirked at how much all three of us were feeling the exact same thing. Pulling myself up again I started using the seats as leverage to once again get to the back.

As I passed the gun crate again I reached in and grabbed anything that felt round. After I had routed around and grabbed four grenades I started heading back to Brittany who was shooting an M-16 assault rifle at the Hummer. The bus was picking up speed as we neared the end of the street. I nudged Brittany as I came up beside her. She glanced over and acknowledged I was there before going back to shooting at the Hummer.

" Hold on! This turns gonna be a insane!" Josh's voice was quite clear compared to the rapid fire of shots next to me that was starting to sound dim and quiet in comparison. The bus rocked as we first went right then left, I wasn't sure of the speed but I did know this was the fastest yet and the most dangerous. Brittany stopped shooting as she fell into my arms. I chuckled a little as she tried her best to glare daggers at Josh.

It was only a few seconds but it seemed like minutes when we came out of the sharp curve and were on the main road heading out of town. I felt like a light had been switched above my head as an idea struck me. Four grenades, one weak bridge, would equal more time to escape. I smiled at the idea as Brittany's rapid fire shots continued.

The bus picked up speed nearing thirty or forty if my guesstimate was correct. The graveyard seemed like a blur as we passed. I nudge Brittany as we passed the old grocery store and started heading down the hill toward the bridge. " Here take two grenades. Take out the pin and throw them onto the bridge as we pass over it. That should buy us some time.. or rid us of our problem. Remember, the bridge failed inspections when humans maintained it so a year of neglect..." Brittany's eye light up and she nodded, smiling, and took the other two grenades.

The sound of a machine gun spraying reached my ears before I noticed trees along the side of the creek getting shot to hell. Josh seemed to try and push the bus to it's limits as we raced onto the bridge. I nodded to Brittany and pulled the pins on mine and threw it out the window. She followed a second after. Looking out the back windows we watched the grenades bounce on the bridge.

It felt like time slowed down as the seconds ticked away to their explosion. Then Dominic's Hummer sped onto the bridge. Tick, tick, boom. My eyes widened as the grenades exploded in succession. It was only when the ammo and extra items, like rocket launchers, exploded that I realized he was gone, and so was the bridge. The Hummers shell was lifted into the air as more another explosion blew out the gas tank, and the ammo storage he had in the trunk of the Hummer. I watched the vehicle land on the ground, insides gone, in a jumbled mess. The bullet proof glass was melted and looked like plastic as it leaked for a second and dripped down before becoming a solid again.

Another second and we were around a corner with a hill blocking our view. I slowly slumped down onto the floor, Brittany sat down on the seat. I let out a very uncomfortable breathe of relief. We were alive, barely.

I slowly ran my claws through my hair as Josh slowed down but kept driving at an accelerated speed. I knew his eyes we glancing back at me but I couldn't care. Closing my eyes I leaned back some more, till something hard and cold poked my in the back. Grabbing it with one of my claws I found it to be my discarded AK-47 from when I had fell in the seat. I chuckled a little as I looked over the lost weapon. Slowly I placed it back on the floor and looked over to Brittany.

The first thing I noticed was the longing in her eyes as we passed the old high, middle school combined institute. I let out another sigh at just how relieved I was to be alive. Leaning back against the hard, cold, metal wall I closed my eyes and smiled. I could take a nap and I'd have nothing to worry about. I could sleep right here on the bus and not panic at all that I might get attacked by something or someone. Sleep started hazing over my mind and thought process as I lay there longer. Before I knew it I was out cold. I could vaguely hear the bus' humming as Josh drove us down the road and away from what would now be known as our own personal hell.

**Authors Note:**

Not the best place to leave you but.. After working three days on it and losing my grammar checker I'm just throwing this to the dogs. The next chapter sadly won't be so rapid as now I am going to be forced to sit down and learn a bit of object modeling, and coding for the Source Engine.

Oh and just a side note, LeapingSpirit and I recorded a podcast we have dubbed, "Left 2 Hunters." The first episode is sitting on my computer waiting to be put together and put on the internet somewhere. The show is very rough and a work in progress. At the moment it's going to be our way to talk about custom Left 4 Dead campaigns, fan fictions from everywhere, maybe even a main topic like zombie strategies for real life. Since it was our first episode we were pretty lost and went everywhere. Hopefully I'll have it edited, posted, and somewhere available by the next chapter.

One last note, shout outs to reviewers. I'd like to thank kibaxnaruto, Jacoba16, Inki Veins,doodle808, and kloadheart. Your reviews are entertaining and make me all giggly happy inside.


	12. Traveling Arousal

The subtle feeling of a hand pushing against my shoulder dislodged me from my beautiful rest. I tried to curl into myself to escape the hand and only felt it start to shake me. Groaning I opened an eyelid and glanced at the, bleh, sunny world. I rolled over tucking my hands under my armpits. " Wake me up when it's raining or something. I don't wanna be this depressed waking up." I heard a chuckle and a giggle from somewhere above me.

I groaned again. "Can't you let me sleep? You really have to humiliate me?" The giggling continued but the chuckling slowly stopped. I slightly opened my eyelids and gazed at Josh's face. He was smirking mischievously. "Where would the fun be in living with you if we didn't get to humiliate you?" I growled a little at him feeling insulted. Well I would of if I hadn't of yawned. Rolling my eyes I pushed myself up.

Feeling more awake I glared at Josh between rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the palms of my hands. "So why did you wake me up?" I was in, all honesty, curious why they would rouse me from sleep after such a brilliant escape. Josh continued smirking and offered me a hand up. I glared at it before grabbing a hold of it and hoisting myself up. I quickly glanced outside, to my realization we were parked outside of a motel in a town along the Ohio River. Maybe an hour from where we had just left.

I sighed and raised an eyebrow realizing the question they must be wondering. What's next? I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Cross the bridge, head south along the river. When we get on the interstate in Marietta we head west. I've got a place to live in New San Francisco, plus I have a few friends there that might be interested in some of the things I have." Josh nodded while Brittany raised an eyebrow. I waved her off. "Their into items preinfection. They don't have memories of their own so a group of us who leave the city hunt for items to fill up a museum."

The motor sputtered to life. I smirked as Brittany nearly lost her balance as the bus started moving. I leaned into the motion and quickly had myself balanced and ready. "You know, I found out riding a boat, train, heck even a bus is all alike. Just move with the motion and you will find your self perfectly fine. Just shift your weight with it." Brittany glared daggers at me. I let loose a chuckle and started heading for the front of the bus.

I carelessly flopped back onto one of the front seats and leaned casually against the wall. "You know, so much has changed. In a way I miss the old world, simple, free, video games, laziness. But then again I'd never want to give this up either: zombies, shotguns, acceptance of homosexuality,less STDs,no taxes, no lines, no rules, no limits, heck special infected are also awesome. I mean seriously, we're like super hero's now... except more like the villains but still super." I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Josh was smirking. I rolled my eyes at him. " Yes that is a nerdy thing to think but seriously we are." Josh shook his head and went back to looking at the road. Rolling my eyes again I turned to Brittany.

Brittany had curled up into the corner of her chair and was looking at me. "I guess I could see that Wolfy, but... don't you miss your loved ones? Don't you miss a normal life?" A pang of guilt and hurt hit me as mental images of my parents came to mind. I let out a deep sigh, falling victim to memories. "I miss them, yes, but the world has changed and I don't know if they would have been able to take what the world has become." A smile crossed my lips as I glanced up from where my eyes had fallen. " But lets not dwell on the past, we are three special infected taking a road trip across America in an old school bus."

Josh glanced back and gave me an encouraging smile as if he knew something I did not. When I failed to continue he gave a chuckle and turned back around shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Brittany but she was just smiling and looking at her nails. I rolled my eyes and decided to change the topic.

"So this buddy of mine in New San Francisco, an only half deformed charger tried to convince me that as a charger he'd play better football than any survivor. So naturally I went behind his back and told our council who, quite happily, set up a survivors versus special infected game. Oh that was a hoot. After the game a smoker ended up asking this girl he liked on the survivor team out and my charger buddy met his latest girlfriend, a spitter, her names Daniel. I can't wait to introduce you guys to them. Their such a lovely couple." Brittany smiled and slowly shook her head at me. "Wolfy you are so flamboyant right now I think you could shit rainbows."

I stared blankly at Brittany. Well.. I would have if Josh hadn't busted out laughing and started swerving the bus across the road into the other lane. As Josh calmed down he glance back at us and grinned. "You two better shut the hell up or I'll turn this bus around and we'll go back." I looked at Josh. No, I stared at Josh. I could barely feel anything as my face conformed to a deadpan look.. Slowly I raised an eyebrow. "So where will we go back too? Your place?" Josh groaned and went back to looking ahead trying his best to ignore us. I did notice that he had just a hint of a smile. Naturally I called out his groan. "Hey! That's my line!" Don't know if I crossed a line there, but Josh did pound his head against the steering wheel a few times. I glanced over at Brittany and gave her the most innocent smile I could muster. I vaguely saw her roll her eyes and chuckle.

After a half hour of nonsense conversation and silence we reached the interstate. After that it took us two more hours to reach Columbus, the first city we would hit on our journey west. The afternoon sun was striking right down on top of us now. It must have been at least seventy degrees.

It wasn't long till we were off the interstate and parked at an infected filled park. I moaned at the sight of mindless stumbling zombies. " Come on! Did CEDA really have to make every single park an evac zone? I would love to just find a nice, wooded, shady place to relax." I glared at the lake and it's refreshing water, and those trees over on the left and right sides of the field. Josh smirked and stepped down off the bus. "Stop your bitching and just come out here. Enjoy it while you have it." Brittany sniggered and followed after Josh. I growled and crossed my arms walking down the steps like a pouting child.

I ignored the tents and obvious "see this is safe" bullshit on my left at the end of the parking lot. I walked with my arms crossed over to one the abandoned cement picnic tables. Huffily I took a seat and focused on my my surrounding, oh and that stupid common over there eating his own arm. Rolling my eyes I watched Josh walk over and stand next to the lake his eyes seemed to wander across it and briefly focus on the island before continuing. From the sounds behind me it seemed like Brittany had ran back into the bus for some reason and was going through something in the back.

Rolling my eyes I looked back over at Josh. As soon as my eyes focused on him they grew two sizes too big. His arms were raised over his head as he pulled his hoodie up and over his head. His back looked as if the finest artist had sculpted it, not even a single tumor or scar on it. Just beautiful muscle and skin. The hoodie went higher showing off small puffs of hair under his armpits and very strong, muscular arms that looked gorgeous in the sun's light.

I felt time slow down as it was yanked over his head and he lowered his arms. I swore I could feel my heart beating as he turned holding his hoodie. I felt my breath catch as his front was exposed. A six pack is nothing if the guy doesn't have a flavor that is totally him to it. Good thing that Josh had a few scars that just screamed him. Sadly tho he had a tumor or two on his chest, tho they seemed barely there and small enough to ignore.

Coughing I looked anywhere but at him. Suddenly what Brittany was doing was of great interest to me. Anything to keep my mind off of Josh, who was strutting towards me. " Whatcha doing Brittany?" I felt like slapping my face as my voice cracked on the whatcha. God I was turning into a blubbering, blushing, idiot in front of Josh.

Brittany's head popped up for a second before going back to being buried in what ever it was. She didn't even answer me. Sighing I turned and looked back at Josh, glancing at his face then back at my hands, which were very interesting. "So, Josh, um how are you?" I didn't dare look up for fear of seeing his gorgeous body.

He seemed to think on my question for a minute or two."Well considering our situations. I'm quite fine. Kinda miss the days when I would just tell the teachers to screw themselves, grab my skateboard and go skating down the hallway." Josh chuckled at some memory. " No, I take that back. I think what I miss the most is the vodka I'd steal from the old man. I'd take it out back to my tree house and drink it with a few of my friends. To bad our infected brains don't get much of a side affect from alcohol. Would be awesome to just get another skateboard, some vodka, and just... Well you know." Josh chuckled again. I could feel his eyes on me, burning a hole in my scalp. I glanced up and smiled at him before looking back down at my hands.

"What do you have there Brittany?" I glanced up to see what Josh was talking about. A smile graced my face as I seen what it was, an old radio. " So that's what cha were looking for Britt? What're we gonna do, listen to the sport bulletin?" Brittany rolled her eyes as she set the radio down on the concrete table. "No dimwit, but there might be an old radio broadcast going out about evacuation zones or survivor camps. You know, like in "I Am Legend?"

Brittany turned on the radio and started searching the frequencies. I kept ignoring Josh's abs and tried to focus on the radio, listening intently for anything. Static, static, static... "...Has been overrun. If you are in the City of Columbus get out now, the last evac center has fallen and the infected have taken over. Nothing left here for anyone so I'd suggest you get out of the city and try another evac center." The radio went silent for a few seconds before it started to repeat the message. I felt the oxygen leave my throat in a rush as if I had been squeezed out of me. Every last ounce of oxygen was exiting my lunges. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Brittany's voice intruded my pity party and the hopelessness I was feeling. "Well, I guess that means we head to the next city to find supplies. Nothing left for us here." I glanced up from where I was glaring at the concrete to her. I relaxed my gaze to a little less angry as I looked at her. "Well, Cincinnati has a survivors camp at the old C.N.K.I. Airport. Though from the sounds of it from the grapevine, their not exactly intelligent infected friendly, but they do allow a few intelligent in at a time."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Josh laid a hand on my shoulder. "Well I guess that is where we are heading." I shivered under his warm hand. If I had been human I would of thought it extremely warm and almost feverish but now it felt cool and comfortable. I smiled sheepishly up at Brittany. "I guess that means we better get on the road. But just so you know, I'm not gonna pitch a tent when we get there and they tell us it's either that or sleeping in the bus." Brittany rolled her eyes and walked back to the bus with the radio.

Suddenly I felt hot breath being blown on my ear. A husky voice whispered into my ear. "You might not pitch a tent there, but you sure are pitching one now." My eyes bulged and I tried to swallow the large lump in my throat. Josh chuckled and ran to the bus. His sculpted muscles moving as if it was living marble. I swallowed again and ignored my, very apparent, arousal. I quickly stood up and walked back to the bus.

Josh smirked as I passed him, his hoodie back on. After I took my seat he turned around and faced Brittany and I. "Next stop Cincinnati." He winked at me and then turned back around starting the bus back up. Within twenty minutes we were out of the parking lot and getting back onto the interstate, this time we entered the eastbound lanes. Best way to avoid the traffic jams that have sat there since the initial outbreak. A clean shot out of the city too.

An hour later we were stopped at a rest stop along I-71. I was curled up in my seat as Josh and Brittany went to use the toilet. I rolled my eyes, even after infected we had the call of nature. I sighed as a cool breeze wafted through the wooded trees and then through the bus. I smirked as I looked around the now overgrown small forest and grass. Just a few yards away from the edges of the rest stop was an overgrown field from an abandoned farm. I chuckled and laid my head against the, now, cool glass.

I was pretty sure we were half way there but there was a thought that kept bugging me. I hadn't been entirely honest with Josh and Brittany. Cincinnati wasn't exactly infected hostile, but reports were that any intelligent infected that passed through there either never came back out or came out a very different person. I sighed and closed my eyes. I'd have to tell them but.. we needed help desperately. Maybe when we get closer to Cincinnati I'll tell them and let them decide.

**Authors Note:**

A bit more relaxing chapter. More look into the characters and.. well.. More of a lot of stuff all around. I'd like to take some time here and mention Inki Viens and Jacoba16. They've both been very informative lately and they both would appreciate you check out their stories, "Calendar Romances" and "Bleed."

I'd also like to mention that at the moment Left 2 Hunters is two episodes in. LeapingSpirit and I would like to thank everyone who has been listening and I'm proud to say it is now on the iTunes store. So just search " Left 2 Hunters." Spirit and I both enjoy the reviews and would love to know how we are doing.


	13. Building Pain

Burnt metal, sparks, an angry hiss. I smiled as I stood next to Brittany in the lobby. After entering Cincinnati we had taken a detour downtown looking for gas station. Instead of finding it we had ended up at an auto garage. It had been Josh's plan to empty the bus of our stuff and to start, as he called it, rearranging the furniture. It was only after he had brought out the welding equipment and started taking the seats out did I fully understand how he was going to do that.

Right now Brittany and I were standing in the front lobby watching as Josh goes to work at the bus. I was wearing a red, long sleeve shirt and Brittany was wearing a light blue jacket that had a silver waist. I looked over at her and shook my head. " I gotta say, I never thought Josh would be the kind of guy who knew how to weld." She smiled at me. We were leaning against what had at one time been the counter top for cash registers and computers. The orangeish surface dug into my palms as I leaned against it.

"You're lucky to have him Wolfy. He seems like a sweet guy. Probably thinks the world of you." I blushed and glanced at the white wall to my right. "Thanks Brittany, but he probably really doesn't want this. He's been alone for a year, I bet he'd flirt with any guy or gal he met." Brittany rolled her eyes at me. "You need to stop putting yourself down Wolfy. Your a handsome man and absolutely charming! Josh couldn't find a better man than you."

I pushed myself way from the counter and started pacing hotly. "You used to tell me that after I came our right before the infection. Brittany it just ain't true. All the guys that seem to like me just want to use me for one reason or another. They like messing with my mind or they just don't like me as is." I could hear Brittany sighing in defeat. We had this argument once before but I had the feeling she knew resistance for the argument was futile.

There was a slight shuffling then there were claws on my shoulder behind me. "Wolfy, give him a chance. You barely know him, how can you be so sure he's like the others?" I twisted around violently and glared into Brittany's eyes. " Because that's all guys do, they use you, abuse you, and throw you away like a toy when their done." I turned away from her a violently and strode into the single stall bathroom.

I slammed the door behind me and pulled myself up onto the sink. It was dark in here but my eyes could almost see through it as if I had night vision or something. I sighed and felt my shoulders sag. Energy rushed out of me as I feel victim to my post fighting anxiety. Too many bad memories floated through my mind, too many manipulative assholes that could hurt me in a fake internet world almost as bad as if they had done it to my face.

Josh was the first guy who really seemed to care about me, I mean hell he went out of his way to try and teach me how to be a hunter, then I lost control and ate someone... Even after that he didn't criticize me, he took what I had done in stride and got us a few weeks worth of food out of it while telling me in a way to never do that again.

History doesn't lie though. Most guys I've dated seem interested and kind at first then turn into assholes. I mean... is it so hard for fate to just deal me someone with a romantic bone in their body instead of a guy who wants to be a lawyer and loves hairless guys? That relationship lasted maybe a month or so, I loved my hair too much to please the manipulative bastard.

The dusty glass mirror behind me felt relaxing to my hot head as I leaned against it. I knew I wasn't exactly trusting when it came to matters of the heart but... Josh made me feel something and then I would be reminded he was a man, and a cock tease most likely not even into me. Running into a loop I kept thinking about how much a bastard guys were and how bitchy girls were. With those very, pleasant thoughts, I fell into an uncomfortable nap against the mirror.

Sleep is so nice, till it is disturbed by alarm clocks. Luckily I don't have an alarm clock, sadly I do know a hunter who will pound on doors like he is now to wake you up. "Wolf, time for dinner, come out when your ready." I listened to the soft steps of his tennis shoes as he walked away.

Hesitantly I jumped down off the sink. Walking over to the door I pulled it open and peeked out. I noticed that outside the front door it seemed to be turning dark. Opening the door fully I snuck out of the bathroom and crossed over into the garage. I noticed the torch and tank seemed to be sitting off to the side of the bus. Giving the bus a once over with my eyes I noticed I could see the back of Brittany's reddish hair and the side of Josh's head as he was turned towards her.

Curious I stepped out of the darkness and up onto the bus. As soon as I was up the stairs I seen what had been done. We now had a table near the front of the bus with diner swivel chairs around it. On top the table sat Brittany's radio, a napkin holder, salt and pepper holders, as well as a ketchup and mustard bottle. I wrinkled my eyebrows and laughed.

Josh glanced up, smirking as he noticed me. " What do you think Wolf?" Shaking my head I stepped forward and took a seat next to Brittany. " Personally I love it, reminds me of a 50's diner." Josh gave me a smirk and shook his head as if just hearing a good joke.

I glanced down at the table feeling embarrassed. " Uhm, you mentioned dinner?" Josh snorted and stood up walking towards the back of the bus. As he walked I noticed the rest of the changes he had done.

There was now a couch, where they had got it I have no idea, a wide screen TV that seemed to be covering a window, though those windows now seemed to be covered in a thick plate of metal. Josh stopped at a microwave that seemed to be placed on a mini fridge a few feet away from the couch. I glanced past Josh and noticed there was now a wall near the back.

I turned to Brittany curious as to the wall."What's behind the wall, Brittany?" She turned away from watching Josh and looked at me. " The wall? I think Josh said he inserted a rough bathroom, toilet, shower, etc back there." I nodded my head in understanding and went back to looking at Josh who was walking back toward us with a plate full of hot, steaming tendons. I felt my mouth water instantly.

Josh stopped between Brittany and I. In a mock waiter voice asked. " Did you order warm tendons' sir?" I smiled at Josh. "Personally I thought they would be cold but hell yeah I ordered them." Josh chuckled at that and handed me the plate. I ignored the sting my hands felt from the heat. I quickly placed it down in front of me and dug my claws into the meat. Mouth watering I took a bite of the warm tendons. I felt my body hum as the warm sweet nectar of blood and muscle slid down the back of my throat.

When I was done I was grinning like a manic. Josh just chuckled and Brittany was trying to hide her laughter. I blushed a bit realizing I had pretty much just ate like a rabid dog. "Well now that Wolfy here has been satisfied lets go visit that colony."

I groaned. "Uhm... about that... Can we just leave the bus somewhere near by in case we need to escape... I just don't trust these people... I've heard stories that are... iffy... so yeah lets...uhm just have an escape plan." Josh raised an eyebrow "Well if you've heard stories then they can't be that bad. But if you really think so we can park it in a forest somewhere." I smiled at Josh. " Yeah I'd really like that, just in case."

Josh nodded and stood back up going back to his seat as driver. Brittany and I sat there on our diner swivel chairs and watched Josh and the front window as we pulled out of the garage. As soon as we ere on the street heading away I turned back to the table and grabbed a few napkins and started cleaning my claws and mouth. Brittany laughed and shoot her head at this.

" You do realize that was ridiculous. You are a hunter, it's not like your not going to eat another bloody organ in a few hours." I glanced over at there and threw the napkins at a waste bin that was welded into the bus near the stairs. "That might be true Brittany but we are going to face civilized people. What would you do if you saw a hunter with fresh blood on his claws and mouth? I'm pretty sure this will at least buy us some time to look semi clean and human."

Brittany and I fell into an awkward silence after that as Josh drove out of Cincinnati and on the left side of the interstate. "Good bye Ohio, welcome to Kentucky guys and gals." Josh waved his right hand to exaggerate what he was saying. Brittany and I gave each other a look and snickered. Glancing up I noticed Josh rolled his eyes at us.

After a few minutes Josh had us a few minutes outside of the airport. " Hey Josh, take the next exit, we need to find a place to hide this before we get closer." Josh glanced back at me and nodded. " Sure can do Wolfy." Turning left he went up the on-ramp and turned right onto a two lane road.

As soon as we were off the interstate Josh turned left and we continued heading straight down the road, trying to get our bearings. Our bus pushed through the few wandering infected as we drove down the old back road, sometimes getting up onto the curve and in parking lots to avoid old rusted car crashes or stopped eighteen wheelers.

After about a minute we noticed a road sign that name a road Point Pleasant Rd. There was an airport sign pointing towards it... I was standing next to Josh by now and gently gave him a push to let him know to turn onto that road. There was a heavily forested area to our right and a warehouse on our left as we drove down Point Pleasant Rd. As the warehouse turned to trees on our left I noticed a blocked off dirt road. I pointed it out to Josh who nodded and slowed down as we neared it. A few barrels with a chain between us blocked the road.

I glared at the chains. "Ram it Josh." I heard him chuckle at my statement and gunned the engine crashing through the rusty chained gate. Josh continued down the dirt road for a few seconds. As we reached the end we found the area lightly covered with bushes and that they continued for a few more feet before a large opening, probably the street we had turned off of.

Josh stopped the bus and turned off the engine. "Dead end folks this as far as the buck goes. Now lets go say hello to that colony next door." Josh stood up and started stepping down the stairs to the now open doors. Stopping at the bottom step he glanced back at Brittany and I. " Come on you two lazy infected lets get walking." I let out a growl and chased Josh down the stairs, Brittany followed behind me laughing. As soon as she was off Josh closed and locked the doors behind us.

Glancing around us I noticed a small lake with a few commons wondering around. I knew Josh had a pistol on his waist as did Brittany. I personally had it in my shoe. Can never have enough protection after the end of the world, even though we were already infected it doesn't hurt to have a bit of extra protection.

It took us a minute of walking to reach the road we had turned off of. Glancing around I noticed an old fallen road sign. Stepping over I read the name of the dirt road. "Josh remember, we parked on Ellis Road, kay?" I chuckled a little as Josh raised an eyebrow. "Okay I'll remember it if we end up lost."

A five minute walk later we were just feet from the fence of the colony. If the new metal wall and wire tops were anything to go by then the survivors had taken over as much of the airport as they could. We kept walking down the road for about ten more minutes before we came to the parking garage complex. Walking up the levels we finally found it, the entrance to the survivor colony. The guards around the entrance had M-16s and were all aimed at us. I figured they had their guns up and at the ready since we walked into the garage complex.

Brittany spoke quickly. "_Don't shoot, we're friendly. We are just in need of some supplies then we'll be out of here._" The four male guards lowered their weapons an inch but kept them aimed at us and at the ready. One of the guys spoke into a radio. After a few minutes he called out something to the other guys who raised their guns at us again. "_Boss said to bring you lot in and you can discuss what you need with him._" Brittany nodded and waved for us to follow her.

Unease settled over me as we walked passed the guards. I knew something was up as soon as he spoke into the radio but something was off. My instincts screamed at me that we should be heading the other way away from these guards that were now behind us.

The guards led us into the airport and passed we the entry sky mall then passed the old security checkpoints and metal detectors. As we passed a second set of guards and entered the main survivor camp I noticed the air was very different from when we had first entered. It seemed more empty in feeling, less stressful, even less hostile, but people were still bustling around this camp and a few were giving us weird, or sympathizing looks.

We were lead out of the Sky Mall and into the Gates. After passing a few the guards directed us to inter the boarding area. At the end of the hall we were ushered onto an old, remodeled, 747. The guards finally stopped us at a wooden door in the airplane.

The guard in lead knocked on the door in a sequence I couldn't quite determind. After a second a deep voice from the other side called to the guards. "_Send them in!_" The guard opened the doors and ushered us into the room, two of them came in with us and the other two stayed behind out in the hall.

The man sitting before us seemed to be bulging with muscles, as if he were a half mutated tank. He wore a black suit and sunglasses. An interesting combination but one that kept me a bit intimidated.

Looking round the room I noticed he must of really wanted a change of pace to have got an oak desk, computer with a monitor, and a bookcase in here. Glancing at what was on his desk I noticed the tell tale letters of CEDA on the papers he was looking at before we entered.

"_So my guards tell me you three are looking for supplies. How about you have a snack and then we'll try to set up some sort of trade to get you what you want._" With that the large man snapped his fingers. A woman with blonde hair walked in holding a platter with some apples, carrots, and stalk of celery. The woman walked over to him and let him have first pick, he grabbed a bright yellow apple. "_Try the apples, you'll find their delicious_."

The woman walked over to us and lowered the tray. The large man in front of us took a bit of the apple and swallowed. Seeing this I grabbed a dark red apple, Josh grabbed a green apple, and Brittany grabbed a carrot. I bit sharply into my red apple.

He was right it was good but it had a slight, bitter taste to it. Josh and Brittany both took bites of their own snacks. Suddenly my vision blurred and I wobbly fell forward. I felt paralyzed as I laid on the floor, the apple rolling out of my hand.

Now long after I heard two more thumps as Brittany and Josh joined me. Sleep quickly took over as I lay there on the floor. My brain was a buzz of constant thought but unable to focus on a single thought. I was everywhere and nowhere at once.

Slowly the haze around my mind lifted as I came to. I looked up toward what ever it was above me, it seemed to be floating around rapidly and my eyes couldn't catch it. Then there were other sounds, I could hear something muffled. It sounded like Josh, or was that someone else? I tried desperately to stop the moving world and tried to focus. I could hear what sounded like words now "..op ov..n..." Okay maybe not words but that sorta made sense.

Suddenly I felt something tug at my legs. I cried out as I felt my body being dragged across something soft. The muffled voice got louder and suddenly it sounded gagged. I winced when I felt hands on my chest. I whimpered as they rubbed over my toned muscles from a year of working out. Or well, working out as I tried to survive a zombie apocalypse. Those hands, I could tell now, were kinda thick and meaty but trying to be gentle.

The room came more in focus as the hands wandered up to my neck. I could hear more clearly now as a muffled voice seemed to be calling at who ever was doing this to me. I almost told the voice to shut up till the hands started grabbing at my nipples. Slowly the hands moved away from my nipples and traced a line to both sides of my hips.

Those meaty hands grabbed my hips and pulled me off the soft object into a standing position. My eyesight swam as I was forced to stand. The hands that had helped me stand up disappeared. Suddenly my waist felt cold. As if all resistance between my legs had been ripped away and air could travel between them.

I heard a very loud muffled yell come from who ever that was behind me. The hands turned me around to face the muffled voice. It sounded far away. The meaty hands found my back and pushed me toward the soft object. Moving forward I tripped and fell on my hands and knees on the soft object. The thick hands grabbed my ass and pushed by a bit forward.

I noticed two blurred figures at the other end of the object, they seemed to be pale with black bottoms and black things on their limbs. I crawled towards them assuming that's where the hands wanted me to go. Then the hands grabbed my legs and stopped me.

The hands trailed away from where they touched my legs. I shivered at the ticklish touch. They trailed up my thighs and then around my waist and down to my pelvis. I groaned loudly as one hand ran circles around my pubes. The other hand slowly reached forward and grabbed my penis.

I squeaked at the very strong grab. Slowly the hand on my pubes went under me and grabbed my balls. I groaned loudly as the hands swirled them around and smashed them together, as if they were kneading bread. Slowly the other hand on my penis started to rub circles on the head. I grit my teeth together at this. So much pleasure. The other hand on my balls let go and seemed to move away. I hung my head a bit as the pleasure on my penis became unbearable.

The hand came back but there seemed to be a cool liquid on them. The fingers on the hand seemed to slide over the skin around the wrinkled muscle. I gasped out when two fingers sunk in. My eyes felt droopy as I looked up at the weird things at the other side of the room.

The hand started to try to scissor the two fingers after a few seconds. I groaned loudly and rolled my head down and then back up. The largest object that had even been up there had been the bottom of a small flashlight and even then I hadn't done anything in over a year.

Suddenly a third digit was added. I chocked and felt tears stinging my eyes. I'd never had anything that large. The muffled voice had stopped yelling. Suddenly the fingers were gone. I let out a sigh of relief.

Then I felt it. I closed my eyes tightly as I felt it rubbing against my rear. Slowly it was lined up with my hole. I clenched my tight eyes and tried to loosen my rear. Even if I didn't want this I would hurt more if I tried to stop it's invasion. The now, obvious male, rammed it right in. I cried out and opened my eyes wide. My gaze flew up then down on what I was on. I could tell now with clarity that it was a mattress with a sheet on it.

I felt tears streaming down the side of my face. I could tell the guy had only put the head in but the pain was incredible, I could of never imagined this kind of pain. Suddenly he shoved forward forcing himself into me.

I let loose a scream. My eyes felt like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. I could see clearly now. Only I wished I couldn't. Too my horror it was Brittany and Josh. Brittany was down to her bra and panties and Josh was in leather pants. Josh lunged toward me and my attacker.

I couldn't hold back, I let loose a strangled sob as the guy pulled back and then forced himself back in. Humiliation washed over me, not only was I being raped, but I was being raped in front of my friends and traveling companions. And not only that but a few minutes ago they had seen me, a withering idiot under this man's hands.

I whimpered as the guy thrust out and plowed back into me. I bent my arms in and tried to bury my head in them from the embarrassment. The guy behind me grunted as if enjoying what he was taking from me. I let lose a rattling sob. I was losing my virginity to a stranger.

Snap. At first I thought I imagined the sound. Then I realized the guy behind me had stopped. Looking up I noticed Josh had broke the leather holding his wrists. The look in his eyes was that of a feral dog. All it took was a second and Josh crouched and pounced over me and onto the guy behind me. I felt the mans dick yank all the way out of me with a pain wracking slurp. I cringed at the sound and fell face forward onto the bed.

My muscles seemed to die as I curled up into a ball. I barely noticed when my sides were coated with blood and pieces of flesh. It seemed like hours passed when I felt two warm arms pick me up. I naturally curled into the chest looking for warmth, compassion, help... I couldn't hear myself but I knew I was crying. Suddenly the body was running down hallways and out of the building. I felt a cold chill wrap around my naked body as my savior ran.

Loud alarms went off and there was a bright light following us as the warm person carrying me ran. It felt like forever before I was put down. I heard a voice telling me to wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tight. My mind could barely make out who it was but he saved me. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around his neck. Suddenly there was someone on my back wrapping their arms around me too. I tensed up instinctively as their pelvis touched mine.

Soon we were in the air and then back on the ground and I was back in the strong warm arms and they were running. I felt like we were flying as I clung to the chest inches from my face. Soon the warm flesh was bouncing and we entered into something. I felt a soft surface as I was laid down. A few seconds past and the person who carried me left.

A loud roar penetrated my hazy world and the feeling of motion hit my stomach. I nearly vomited as I felt what ever this was moved. The sound of crunching leaves and ripping branches sounded tremendous as world moved forward. The ripping sound stopped and there was a bump. After that it was smooth but still moving.

A long clawed hand laid upon my head trying too soothe me. I curled up deeper into myself and the soft material I was on. I kept my eyes shut and willed myself to go to sleep that maybe I'd wake up and none of this happened. A chocked sob exited my throat at the thought. I let loose and just cried, hugging myself. Slowly my mind drifted into nightmares, of men taking advantage of me and my body.

**Authors Note:**

I know this comes as a shock but there is a purpose behind this. I also know many of you assumed that this chapter was going to be all about CEDA. I'm sorry to disappoint you. If you can't tell Brittany and Josh were awake and much more conscious before our main character so... maybe next chapter they can put some light on the facility they escaped and what was going on?

I've added a new warning to summary. I do plan on going to go a more mature route with not just this but others as well.

I would also like to say that plans the future of Purge and Changing World, as well as info on other neat Left 4 Dead fan fictions, custom campaigns, and sometimes funny and informative discussion on zombies listen to Left 2 Hunters. The link is in my profile.


	14. Care for the Opry

I felt something warm and fuzzy wrap around me, just as a man neared me with a shotgun in hand and aimed at my stomach. My eyes snapped open. I was greeted with the back of a white couch. My ears slowly adjusted and I noticed the sound of the bus slowing down. Mentally I started taking count of every ache and pain in my body trying to trace a damage assessment without moving or alerting one of the other two, I assume it's just Brittany and Josh, to my being awake.

With a jolt the bus stopped. It took a few minutes before the engine were turned off. My eyes flicked from left to right over the back of the couch, just listening to the world I couldn't see.

I could hear paper rattling and being crumpled somewhere. Vaguely I realized my backside hurt and felt sorta crusted, as if some liquid had solidified back there... I tried not to visualize and went back to focusing on the sounds. "Brittany, we're just about an hour and a half from Nashville, are you sure that you want to do this?" Josh sounded concerned. Something must have happened and Brittany had made some sort of decision I wasn't privy too.

"Josh... I need to do this. I just can't... Not after what happened. I've made up my mind and there is no changing it." I heard Josh's chuckle and felt myself smirk. He really had a nice chuckle. "Brittany, you're being a little dramatic are you not? I mean we will miss you but I'm sure he will understand. You need this and I wish you the best of luck where ever that might lead you."

I felt a part of myself die. Brittany was leaving. While she was just a friend she was a part of our weird team. What ever happened back there in Cincinnati must be to blame. That must be it.

I could hear Josh's deep sigh. "Keep an eye on him, I have to go and cipher some gas from those trucks over there, we have a quarter of a tank left but I'd rather not have a surprise and end up running out of gas."

With that I listened as Josh stepped down the steps off the bus and ran off to get some gas from nearby big rigs. I felt the couch move a bit as someone sat by my feet, I felt my muscles contract and tighten up as I felt a clawed hand on my leg.

"Shhhh, Calm down, it's only me." I jerked my leg and kicked away the hand. A growl crept from my throat. "Don't, touch me." All thoughts disappeared from my mind as I started shaking violently.

I could vaguely hear shrieking, crying, pain, oh the pain, and then, after what seemed like minutes I felt a calm, soothing clawed hand on my back. All the sound, the shaking, everything just seemed to stop. All I could hear was someone crying.

Reaching up I touched my clawed hand to my cheek, oh it was me crying. Big surprise... Slowly I rolled over and pushed the blanket off me to see who it was touching my back.

I vaguely heard someone cough and murmur something about being back in a few. All I could see was his dark, brown hair. I slowly looked lower into those brilliant red eyes that I had not so long ago first peered into in a dark room, alone, by myself, ready to die.

I felt ready to die all over again. Josh chuckled and kept staring into my eyes. "You should probably pull that blanket back up, Brittany had to leave. Seems she's not really interested in finding out if her fuzzy memory is right."

I felt like it was the hardest thing to look away, after straining against my muscles I glanced down. I gasped out loud and quickly wrapped the covers around me. I blushed a deep shade of red.

Josh just chuckled and smiled at me. I glanced up from where my eyes were on the floor and blushed even harder if that was possible when I seen the humor in his eyes, I glanced back down at the floor. I felt his clawed hand cup my chin. He slowly tilted it up for me to look back in to his eyes.

"Don't hide, I think you're beautiful. No matter what happens now I'll protect you." I realized I was being cliche but I could help but gasp and feel a smile tug at the sides of my face. Without warning I just reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck giving him a big hug. "Thank you Josh, god thank you." I closed my eyes and smiled, I could feel a few tears escape my eyes.

A few more tears escaped my eyes as I felt Josh's arms wrap around me and embrace me. It was when he started rubbing my back that I couldn't hold back. The tears flowed freely as I cried over his shoulder.

After a few minutes I pulled back and smiled at him. "Thank you Josh." Josh returned the smile, his sharp teeth would have looked horrifying or just weird if I had been human but by now I was so used to it I just let out a small laugh. My head rolled back as I laughed and I felt my eyebrows raise as far as they could and a huge grin break across my face as I looked him in the eyes again.

A loud cough to my right caught me off guard and I snapped my eyes over to the sound. I smiled as my eyes landed on Brittany. "Um, sorry bout that... How about you come over here and you two, can explain what the hell happened back there? Please leave out details I'd rather not know."

Josh helped me sit back down on the couch without losing the blanket around my waist. Brittany took a seat at the table and Josh sat down next to my on my left.

Josh placed his hand on my leg. He took a deep sigh after a few minutes of silence. "Well, I was the first to wake up. Their drugs didn't really seem to affect me, didn't help any though. They were just taking us out of their leaders office when I came too. I guess the guy was some huge legend who helped a lot of the citizens escape from various prisons and penitentiaries. Most of the people there were loyal to him but they knew the drugs he used on new victims were pretty bad on infected. So the guys holding us weren't surprised when I woke up. Naturally when I asked what was going on they were more than happy to divulge their dirty secrets."

Josh exhaled deeply and sucked in again. "They told me something about how the airport was home to all types of criminals and since most of them had the same ideals' crime was at an ultimate low. Even more so under the command of who ever the boss really is, I never really got a name." Josh paused for a second and glanced down at his hand that was massaging my leg.

"They said we were being taken where all infected, intelligent or feral, were taken, the brothel. There we were to be trained as sex slaves and used as any criminal so wished. Gender of the slave didn't matter." Josh paused again and didn't pick up this time. He just stared at his hands.

Brittany huffed at the silence. I glanced over and looked at her. "I woke up not long after they started changing us out of our clothes into, pretty much nothing. God I was so pissed, they dare lay a hand on me, too bad they had my hands chained otherwise I would of murdered that guy. He kept grabbing what ever skin he could. Bastard."

I watched as Brittany balled up her fists and her eyes seemed to blaze with anger. I glanced over at Josh. He gave me a small smile and put his arm around me.

"I'll take it from here Brittany. Well after we were cleaned up and put into our new clothes they sent us to the room where all the new toys are taken. It was when a guy came in and noticed you were still out that he decided you'd be first. God I hated watching him violate you. I tried my best to get at him but... The straps they had used to bind us just wouldn't give. It wasn't till... Well it wasn't till then that I could, with Brittany's help, yank our bonds off and attack that rapist. God... I'm so sorry Wolfy."

Josh pulled me closer to him as he spoke of the memory. I blushed as I realized Brittany was smirking. "After Josh castrated that monster we bolted. That was fun. And then we rode on his back, over the wall, and I mean, man, Wolfy, you missed so much!" Brittany was full out grinning and using her hands to explain their, as she put it, "fun" time.

"Brittany's sorta right, since we escaped we've been on the road heading toward Nashville. Decided that we might as well head south and try to supply ourselves in another city. Josh pulled me closer. We also thought it might be fun to explore a bit, we'll get to Cali but it'll just take us a little longer. I mean there's nobody in the world to dictate our speed limits or stealing so we'll be fine."

I smiled up at Josh as I pictured, in my mind, strolling through a Vegas Casino, running up and down the hallways of a fancy hotel, taking anything we want from the mall to wear, all the souvenirs we want from the Route 66 gift shops, oh and maybe I could find me some more model trains!

"Josh, your a genius, now lets get ow!" I stopped trying to stand up. Josh quickly wrapped his arms around me and slowly lowered me back down to the couch. It felt as if I had just been stabbed in the ass. I could vaguely feel myself shaking from the pain. "Shhh, Calm down Wolfy, Just relax." Slowly Josh pulled my legs up into his lap and turned so that my head was resting against the arm rest.

Now just, lay there, I'll be right back, the bus needs some more gas. I nodded my head through bleary eyes. I felt tears slip from my eyes and down my cheek. The pain had gone but the utter and absolute humiliation that I couldn't even stand up without pain and had to have someone help me lay back, god it was terrible.

I clamped my eyes shut and turned facing the couch. A muffled whimper escaped my mouth as I soaked in my humiliation and tried to fall asleep. I was finally rewarded with sleep after what seemed like hours.

Images flashed by my face; razor sharp claws barely missing my face, hot, passionate sex, a smoker in ripped, blue jean shorts with a ripped, purple coat, faintly the last image was of a bright light then there was darkness.

Snapping my eyes open I found myself still in the bus. Quickly looking around I realized I was alone. I pulled the blanket with me as I turned to be sitting up on the couch. I gently dug my claws into my scalp and scratched an itch that just didn't want to go away.

I slowly stood up, and holding my blanket, walked to the back where the box with my clothes were. I quickly opened it up and pulled out a shirt and pants. I didn't pay much attention to what it was and walked into the back bathroom. I ignored the underwear, I'd rather not wear anything yet, my rear is still sore and all underwear would do it make it chaff.

As I stepped out of the bathroom in the back I noticed Josh and Brittany walking back from the building near the bus. It seemed they had been clearing out commons of this, very rich looking building. The red brick arches and the white pillars were a striking sight.

Josh and Brittany climbed up onto the bus. Josh was the first to realized I was dressed and up. He gave me a small smirk. "Nice to see you finally grabbed your balls and got dressed." Brittany glanced at Josh before raising her eyebrows and then smiling at me." It's good to see your feeling better Wolfy. Just in time, we think we found a place to stay for the night."

I glanced from them to the building. "And what is the name of this place to stay at?" Brittany glanced from me to the building and back for a few seconds. "It's the Opryland Hotel. I mean, really even Josh knew it by the look of the building." I slowly nodded my head taking in the information. I'd been here once but I'd been really young at the time and the memories were fuzzy.

When I came back out of my day dream I realized Brittany was already gone and Josh was patiently waiting on me. "There you are, welcome back to Earth, Brittany already went off to claim her own room. We both agreed that you should sleep with me until you are more healed." I nodded, not really understanding what he meant by more healed. I felt fine as is, just a sore ass...

Josh stepped down off the bus and I slowly followed behind him. As soon as I was off he closed the door and locked it. "Come on Wolfy!" Josh threw his arm up in the air. It landed around my neck. "Lets go explore this hotel and find a place to sleep." I glanced up from the ground and gave Josh a small smile. He gave me a large grin and hugged me closer to him.

As we entered the building I was shocked to find the floor was covered in marble, and specks of blood. That there was nobody around, not even commons, because they were already dead and lying on the floor. Josh pulled me through rooms one after another, none of them registering till we walked through two french doors into an indoor jungle.

"I'd like to welcome you to the Opryland Hotel's most prized possession, the atrium. Now where would you like to sleep?" Josh lead me into the untamed jungle that had, by now, grown out of control and had started taking over the room. Looking up I realized instead of breaking through the glass some of the plants had just started growing along the top rafters.

Looking around as Josh led me down a brick path next to a little river I found the perfect room on the second floor over looking the atrium." Oh Josh, how about that one up there. You could probably see all the waterfalls." I heard Josh snort and turned to look at him quizzically. "Okay, I know your gay Wolfy, but that was just too feminine."

I looked at him aghast and then glared at him before storming away. "Fuck you too Josh. Oh god fuck me I'm still doing it. That was not an offer! ARG!" By the time I was done ranting I was reentering the hotel going off to look for my room.

It didn't take me long to find a stairwell and go walking along the rooms to find exactly which room I had pointed out. By the second room Josh had caught up and was out of breath. As I stormed into the third room I called over my shoulder. "Don't you dare talk to me yet, I'm still pissed at you! When I find the room I'll think of letting you talk. Fuck! Still not it!"

I angrily swept past him to explore the next room, and then the next one, and the one after that. By the seventh room I finally found it. I opened the doors to the balcony and stepped out. I took in a deep breath and smiled at the beautiful view of a jungle with waterfalls, in a building. It was gorgeous to me.

I vaguely felt Josh move to stand next to me. Without thinking I elbowed him. It wasn't till I heard his pained grown and noticed someone kneeling next to me that I realized I hit him square in the gut.

I smiled sheepishly at him. "Uhm, sorry bout that Josh... You can talk now but... Uhm... Oops?" Josh coughed a few times and tried to give me a charming smile. "Nah it's okay, I ve had worse, was shot a few times." I gave him a small smile and tried to help him up. He waved me off. "Just go, lay down on the bed and take a nap... It's been a long..." Josh coughed for a second before groaning. "Long day, I'll take first watch."

The idea of taking watches didn't really strike me till I had already fallen on the bed. I vaguely remember moving my limbs but nothing registered in my mind. It seemed like time had messed up, like the last thirty minutes had flown by, that the last ten minutes didn't even exist. Then I realized I didn't remember walking over here or falling into the bed. Slowly my mind started panicking and working on puzzles that seemed to fly into my mind now that I was lying down. The last thing I remember before sleep took over my mind was a simple thought coming to me.

Maybe, just maybe, I really was losing my mind and these lapses in memory and rushes in time are just reinforcing my insanity. Maybe I am insane.

**Author's Note:**

Another chapter come and gone. Things between Wolfy and Josh might be heating up, or cooling down. What is going on with Brittany? Why the flip Nashville? I promised more adult content is this is? To most of those questions I have no answer to and just wanted to state to confuse you. Next chapter is going to be very emotional on my end of things so it's going to be really hard to write. Then again I took on an original fiction to work on the side as well so that doesn't really help as I also near graduation and am working on resumes and portfolios.

I have plans for this story and they involve new and old characters with plot lines that have been hinted at but never revealed or revealed and never hinted at. Things have taken a turn and the result of this turn will be more obvious in chapters to come.


	15. Slowing Down the Mills

Feeling the swimming sensation of waking up I slowly opened my eyes to find a dark room. I glanced first left toward the door and right to the balcony. When I saw that the coast was clear, that there were no commons around, I finally sat up and started trying to wake up. I couldn't tell how long I'd been out, but from the aches in my body, I'd say a few days. God I'm so tired of all this falling asleep for days on end. It's gotta be messing with my brain or something.

As I stood up I realized that I was only in my boxers. A fierce blush crossed my face as I slowly stood up and tried to ignore my morning wood. I stepped out onto the balcony and looked around the green shrubbery and the beautiful way that a man made structure had been reintegrated back into nature. I had always loved that, the apocalyptic look. It was nature and the human constructs being side by side in a way that it could of never been just a year ago.

Slowly I felt the morning wood lower itself. A sigh of relief escape when it was finally gone. My muscles relaxed as a warm afternoon breeze whipped itself around the room and flew through me. An arm slowly creeped around my waist. I flinched mentally but I steeled my physical form. "Nice to see you up and about Wolf boy." Mentally cursing myself for my self defense mechanisms I slowly relaxed letting him hold me.

"Yeah, it's nice to be awake. Not to be rude but... why the fuck are you so like talkative and lovey dovey with me?" Josh snorted at my question and seemingly ignored the bluntness of the question. "A Simple answer my dear Wolfy. When, I saw him rape you, I just... I realized our lives are short as infected. I mean I knew that before but... I was hoping to get to know you, slowly start going out, and then we'd be all lovey and touchy feely but... What I'm trying to say is... I have feelings for you and I want to act on those feelings before I lose you for good." Josh hung his head and started shifting from foot to foot nervously.

I turned around and looked at him. I mean really watched him. Here was a man who barely shows his feelings saying he's got to show them because he's afraid of losing me? I might be a sap for a good love story but this was just... If there were fan girls they'd be going "awww" at how adorable this moment seemed.

"Josh, I know what you mean... but we gotta slow down man. Ya just comin onto me a little too hard. Before I know it you'll be trying to get me naked on the bus and doin me on the couch. Don't get any ideas. Now, I'm headin to the bus. You could come with me or... ya could go see Brittany. I'd rather none of us be alone for too, too long." I walked passed his slightly hopeful face and out into the hall. I didn't know where my clothes were that had been on me when I feel asleep, but I'd rather just get to the bus and get some more than try and find them. Who knows what condition they might be in.

After, I guess in a way you could call it storming though I wasn't angry, I was just embarrassed, through the hotel to the bus I found it unlocked. I vaguely realized from a memory this shouldn't be but naturally ya just shrug it off and continue like in most situations.

I walked over to my tote and started pulling out a shirt and pants and took to the back of the bus, to find myself walking the other way blushing. Yeah, didn't need to see Brittany with her pants down. "Yeah, sorry bout that Britt, I'll, uhm, just wait out here till you're done." I stood next to my tote looking around, finding the metal ceiling very interesting at the moment.

I waited till after the door had opened again and closed again. Brittany pushed past me shaking her head. "Remember to knock, who knows who could have been in there." With that Brittany stepped off the bus in blue jean shorts and a yellow T-shirt. Why in the world is she so... happy? I mean even her clothing is bright and... girly? She was never like that growing up. Shaking my head I turned around and walked into the bathroom to change.

As I stepped out of the bathroom wearing my new clothes I watched as Josh jogged up the stairs. " Hey, I'm heading into the mall over there." Josh pointed through the side of the hotel towards something behind it. "The mall has been turned into a survivor outpost. I've spoke to them once or twice and they seem nice enough. They are planning to sell us supplies today so I'm going to go pick them up." I went to open my mouth to add that I'd come but Josh stopped me. "Sorry, two infected limit and Brittany has to come with me. She joined some expedition to New Orleans. Personally I think it's because their second in command is a muscle man named Francis. From the sounds of things I've heard so far, he hates everything and loves his vest." I tried to once again interject my thoughts cut off and interrupted. " I'm sorry to leave you alone so soon but we need those supplies and Brittany has already signed a contract. Just keep a gun on you while you wait, it should only take me a few hours and then I'll be back here on the bus with the supplies and then we can just leave and do what we boys want to do."

I kept quiet after that and raised my eyebrows. Josh smirked at me. "I'm done. Sorry for rambling but... I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone, we always had at least one of us with you for the last few days and... I'm getting paranoid something bad will happen to you." I raised my eyebrows again and Josh rolled his eyes and mimicked zipping up his lips. "Alright, Josh, go get those supplies but I'm taking my dear old pistol and I'm going go explore. Maybe I can find myself a souvenir or somethin. Oh and remember what I said, slow down man. I mean I like ya to but I barely know ya."

Without waiting for his reply I spun around and went on the hunt for my pistol I heard a defeated sigh. "Okay fine but... be careful I don't care if I'm moving too fast but if you get hurt I'm gonna fuck up the bastard that dare dream of hurting you." I rolled my eyes as I glanced around my tote. I listened carefully as Josh stepped down off the bus and walked away.

I knew that everyone was acting odd, even I felt like I was doing things against the norm but... the situation just seemed plain fucked up to my mind and I was acting on impulse since it had happened. Josh seemed to really be over the top but... I was really hoping he'd slow down finally. I mean I like him and I wouldn't mind dating him but god damn he's moving fast. Seriously holding my waist as I'm only in boxers? You don't do that till week two after many successful dates. Then there was Brittany who... seemed to lose her mind and who she was after leaving our hometown. Now Josh tells me instead of just splitting up from our team she's signed a contract to go on an expedition with a team of guy heading to New Orleans. Did I mention she's wearing bright clothes and she never does that? What happened must of really fucked her over and... this Francis guy, if he hates everything then why would she have a crush on him? Gah this is so confusing.

Then I spotted my pistol beside the gun crate. Leaning down I grabbed the gun. As I went to turn around and leave I realized I didn't have any ammo on me other than the those in the gun. Turning back round I reached into the gun crate and grabbed some cartridges for just in case. Stepping away from the crate I walked over to the dinning table and sat down. It was only proper to inspect the gun and make sure it worked properly before heading out into an infected area. If the gun locks up on you it's gonna be hard to adjust it on the fly and fix it. After a few minutes of giving it a once or twice over and a few practice rounds with an empty chamber I decided to kick my rear in gear and just go do this.

Slipping out of the bus I closed the door behind me and headed toward where ever Josh had been pointing. I might not be able to get in the survivor camp but who knew what was hanging out around the outside walls. I mean it's a mall, and malls usually mean a ton of cars in the parking lot. After ten minutes of walking around the hotel I finally seen what Josh meant. A giant parking lot with an odd colored building with white, red, and yellow. Some of it seemed to be stone, other parts brick.

Without thinking I started walking through the cars and other vehicles. I glanced into a few of the cars and noticed a wide variety of people who had come here for some reason or another. Maybe at one time this mall had been an evacuation or maybe a place to get flu shots. What ever it was this place had dragged in a lot of people for it's final opening.

After a few minutes of walking I came to the treeline with a road leading along side it. Shrugging my shoulders on why not to just follow the road I did just that to see where ever it might lead. As I found out in a small s curve it led beside the mall known as the " Opry Mills" as an old, decrepit, falling apart, sign read in bright colors. I slowly shook my head at the name and blinked a few times.

Continuing along the road I felt a yawn of bored arise against me. Not only were there no infected to shoot but it was quiet as could be and the parking lot was just quiet and filled with rusting cars. I felt deeply bored after all the excitement from past trips out and about.

After coming around another bend in the road a new sight caught me by surprise. A bright blue and yellow wood painted sign hung over a walk way leading to an overgrown New Orleans like area. Glancing back to the sign I took in the details of the gold and swooping letters to the smoke coming out of the J that looked like a smokestack. The sign read "GenJackson." I raised my eyebrows at that.

Without much more thought I stepped forward toward the area. If word of mouth was anything to go by then that was probably short hand for the General Jackson, Opryland's showboat. As I slipped under the old lights and wires hanging above my head I noticed a building I was coming up to. From the looks of it I would say it looked like a gazebo but the circular structure seemed more like the size of those carousel buildings. I laughed mentally and corrected myself. It was like a building that housed carousels but there was no carousel in it. I felt myself feel confused at the description of the building and just rolled my eyes quickly forgetting the thought.

As I stepped into the building I seen what I'd sorta of been hoping to see. A three story large stern-wheeler. A small smile graced my face as I viewed the ship that had at one time been home to music, alcohol, maybe a play or two, and a good time for all aboard.

I looked around for a way to get on board it and noticed a walkway leading down to the pier and back up a sloped platform for loading. My eyes caught something and I glanced up... there it was a walk way. Perfect, no lines to get on the ship and nobody to fight to just explore it. Walking out of the building I had mentally dubbed the carousel building I went looking for the other end of that walkway I had seen leading directly to the ship with no long, weird, walkabouts.

After a few minutes of back tracking and walking a bit farther down the road I found a parking lot with the walkway. I felt a second of shock run through me as I realized the infection must have happened after the ship had been evacuated as no bloodstains or dead bodies littered the area here. The only evidence that the world had changed was the dirty windows or the fading paint which was a very clear indicator of what the area had survived.

I felt like I fluidly crossed the walkway and stepped onto the ship. The unnatural feeling of being on something moving came over my instantly as I could feel the ship slowly dip and move with the water. I slowly turned and gave myself a three sixty view of the area. The paint on the side of the boat really seemed to be peeling off as I now stood next to it and the trees seemed to be brushing the top of the walkway and at one part halfway toward the front of the boat a few tree limbs touched the boat itself. I felt a smile tug at the sides of my mouth. The ship, tho old and rusting, was still as gorgeous as the photos and word of mouth had said. All thoughts of what had led me here left my mind as I went to explore the ship I had only ever heard stories of.

**Author's Note**

I was afraid this would be a smaller chapter but it is sadly. This was very much an explanation chapter for recent events and is setting up events for the next chapter and future events that are coming. Oh and there will be crossover with the Left 4 Dead/Left 4 Dead 2 world. Characters from there might appear as a cameo or in passing reference or they might play a larger part of what is to come.

Also just making a note here to everyone but I have finally figured out what those CEDA papers mean. It took some deciphering and some talks with people but I think I finally figured out what's going on in the world, now can you figure out what's going on? If you figure it out the only reward I can give is bragging rights as I announce your name in an "Author's Note."

Never thought I'd be saying this, but please leave a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts on developments in the story or on my writing. Please have a great day and thank you for reading "Changing World."


	16. General Alex

Turning left I followed the railing looking for a way down to the first floor. If I could get down there I might be able to find a way into the main dinning area. I had heard stories of large gorgeous chandeliers,a beautiful carpet and table cloth, with a magnificent stage. After a few minutes of exploring I found the stairs leading down.

Now that I reached the second floor of this three story boat I felt more confident on finding a way down. I continued exploring at a leisurely stroll. I noticed main entrances to what I assumed was the upper deck eating area and I passed them with little mind. I was going to do this right and start at the bottom for my first view. Reaching the end of the boat I found some more stairs leading down.

As I stepped onto the first floor I couldn't shake the ghostly feeling of how serene this all was. A popular show boat, empty and left to rot on the river. Dust covered the railings and chairs I found as I walked around the first floor. After a bit more exploring I found the doors leading to the dining area. I held my breath and open the door. As I did a gust of wind flew past me escaping into the dining room Table clothes flutters and the dust was wrestled from where it had been laying.

Glancing around I stepped into the room and looked up at the swooping architecture. I felt my mouth open in awe at the beautiful arches and the studio lighting. Glancing down I noticed the carpet was lush and the tables and chairs were white or had white table cloth on them.

I slowly stepped more into the room and started taking in more, imagining that a concert was going on and I was trying to find my table in the loud room with country music blaring. A small smile graced my face as I neared the stage. I stopped a few feet away from the stage and turned around taking in the sight of all the tables.

A creak of wood caught my ears. I felt my head snap around and my back hunch over trying to get me down to my knees ready to pounce. A tiny voice in the back of my head told me I should have went for the gun but I was too focused on listening. After a few seconds hesitation there was another distinct creak. Without another second or thought I pounced toward the sound. I vaguely noticed my clawed hands landing on a wooden stage. I snapped my eyes up at the person who dared to sneak around rather than face me directly.

It was a smoker, not one of those that ended up mutating after months in but one of the ones that kept one tongue and seemed semi human. I let loose a snarl at him and grabbed the pistol from my waist. The guy seemed to be wearing a dark blue, short sleeve, T-shirt. It seemed wrong though, for some reason the top part where the head fit through seemed more inflamed as if it was meant to ride up and hide the mouth. I was half expecting his pants to be some weird fashion trend and was surprised to find blue jeans.

My eyes snapped up to his face as a slight sound of suction caught my attention. "No sudden moves buster. Not exactly in a forgiving and kind mood." What ever the smoker had been thinking had him frozen still. A cold calculating look seemed to pass through his eyes as he watched me. Suddenly his foot moved forward, without thinking I shot at it. Unluckily for him he now had a bullet hole through his left foot.

"God fuck damn son of a bitch whore pussy fucking douche asshole!" The smoker was now on the floor hugging his foot and continued saying every cuss word he could probably think of. Normally I'd laugh at something like this on YouTube back in the day but the guy was still a threat and I still had no idea who he was or what his business here was. After a few minutes of cussing I pulled some pills out of my pocket and tossed them to him. He quickly downed them and scrunched up his face at the nasty taste.

"Hey, could be worse. I could of told you to suck it up." I gave the guy a smirk and lowered my gun a bit. " Now that we've got to known each other a bit maybe you could tell me why your here and then your name. That order please."

The man, no, teenager glared up at me. "You fuckin shoot me and then you expect me to answer that question. Are you fuckin insane? And what the hell happened to "Not exactly in a forgiving and kind mood?"" I rolled my eyes are his thick sarcasm and pulled back on the hammer. "We could do this the easy way boy or I could shoot your other foot and make it even. There ya happy?" I kept my eyes trained on the smoker as a small look of defeat flitted across his face before masking it with annoyance.

"I'm sleeping in the only safe place I could find after the survivor camp over there turned me down. There happy? Names Alex by the way." I kept my eyes trained on the guy in front of me as I quickly decided if I was to trust him or not. On one side he told me why he was here and what his first name was, something more than most usually do. On the other hand, he was sneaking around instead of confronting me directly. Meaning he was very distrustful to new people and wasn't exactly the bravest person with frontal confrontations.

Mentally I rolled my eyes at myself. At one point in life I had prided myself on looking at the small details and drawing conclusions about the person. Right now though, after a ton of correct assumptions there were always the times I might get it wrong. Alex's voice crashed through my thoughts. "Dude, man, what ever you want me to call you, I'm still bleedin here and while I might be infected this isn't gonna heal soon. Care to help the guy you shot out?"

I stared at him, one minute, two minute, not really thinkin just... staring. Alex finally started to squirm. I smirked at this. " Alright buddy, you seem honest enough. Lets get you a health pack." Without waiting for his answer I stepped forward and maneuvered myself so that I could have his arm around my neck to give him support while we walked. Alex gave a gasp at the action and stumbled as we started walking about. " Alex, man, keep it together. It'll be hard enough getting there without you fumbling along beside me." Alex huffed at that and glanced to his left, away from me.

It took us around ten minutes but I finally helped Alex off the boat and onto flat land. "Alrighty, we got a good solid walk in front of us as the closest health pack, other than getting murdered by survivors in that building over there, is over there in the hotel." Visibly I waved my hands as I talked indicating the mall in front of us and then over through the woods toward the hotel. Alex groaned as I started, pretty much by now, dragging him toward the hotel.

We had walked maybe three minutes before Alex finally said what I was fearing. "Are we almost there? My legs killing me and I'd love to rest for a few." I felt my face turn to a look of incredulous and looked at him. "We're not even to the sign up ahead and you're already complaining? How the hell did you get around before now?"

Alex groaned again and let out a whine. " I walked but I always went about five miles a day and hitch hiked a lot, and when needed I'd just rest and catched my breath, and continued on after wards. I mean, I wasn't unhealthy, I used to march in the band in Texas but, god damn all this..." Alex coughed and some smoke spewed out some of the few left over tumors that hadn't been scratched off. "As you can see. After being infected I was forced to be..." Another raking cough. "Not exactly healthy. Fuck I hate this stuff. Plus you put a goddamn bullet in my foot. Am I supposed to take that and be fine?"

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "Well I am taking you to a health pack. Now quit your whining, suck it up, or I'll be forced to carry you over my back like a dead deer."

It took us maybe another five minutes at the least to reach the edge of the hotel with the bus in view. Alex was now riding piggy back on me. Yeah, my back was killing me but I had to get him there. By now Alex was a bit droopy but the bleeding wasn't as heavy. "Ugh, bullet holes hurt, ya know that? God damnit are we here yet? What the hell am I saying? Bleh." I quirked my eyebrow but didn't comment on anything Alex was saying. The blood loss must be getting to the poor guys head.

We finally reached the bus and I let Alex down gently and lay the, dazed boy beside the bus. I opened the door and went on the search of the health pack. After searching through a few bins I found one in the back behind the weapons crate.

I rolled my eyes at the zipper and just used my claws to shred the front material and pulled out the bandages, pills, etc. I walked outside and noticed a few common wandering out of the hotel and stumbling toward Alex. They seemed hungry, but unsure of what to do with a dying infected like them.

Back during my life as a human I had once seen many occasions where special infected ate commons or commons ate dead special infected. Throwing those thoughts out the windows I helped Alex to his feet and helped him onto the bus and closed the door behind me. Lifting him up as I laid him down on the dinning table.

Carefully I checked his foot, the bullet had went straight through the worn tennis shoes meaning it had went through the foot. I sighed happily at that and slowly started removing the shoe and sock. After a bit of complaining from Alex I finally had his foot free. Without waiting for his consent or even a barely coherent complaint I started applying disinfectant and gauze around the wounds. I growled as I got a loud cry as I tied the bandages tight. " You can thank me later." To punctuate my last word I tied it tighter again with another set of gauze.

As soon as I was done I took the rest of the supplies and put them in the front dashboard. We could use the rest for minor wounds. Turning around I was about to tell Alex off for all his bitching and complaining but I found him asleep on the table. I rolled my eyes and carefully pulled him off the table and carried him over to the couch. I grumbled under my breath as I laid him down. "You better be thankful for all this work. I've had to carry you more than it's worth at times."

Letting out an exasperated sigh I stumbled back and took a seat on the swiveling diner chairs. I smirked a little while looking at him. "Alex, your one hell of a guy. I find you on a boat, I then shot you in the foot, carried you back to my place to bandage your foot, and then you have the nerve to fall asleep?" I chuckled softly. "Yup, this is the beginning of a great friendship." turning around I took a few napkins and cleaned off the table but as soon as there was a spot I leaned down turning my clawed hands around my arms and fell asleep. I might be infected but that doesn't mean I can't act or be human.

Wham! " Ow!" I instantly went to rubbing a hand against the back of my head. "Why'd you do that for Josh?" I turned around and glanced at the angry hunter. "Because you went out for your walk and came back with a stray, and what the hell happened to his foot?" I glanced over to where Josh was waving. Oh, right Alex. " Uhm.." I glanced to my left away from Alex and started rubbing my clawed hand against the back of my neck. " Yeah about that... Went over to explore the old General Jackson showboat and... found this guy... then I shot him... in the foot... sooo... yeah I had to bring him back and heal him up, I mean... really he's just... ugh!" Josh raised an eyebrow at me. " You shot him, you felt guilty, and you brought him home? Normally I would raise an eyebrow and be confused but after the past few weeks I've been with you... I don't doubt that is how it happened."

I glanced up and sheepishly smiled at Josh. He just huffed and rolled his eyes. "Brittany sends her regards and was hanging all over Francis who, for once, was not saying the word hate. Actually he started to get sorta sentimental... it was creepy, anyway we have supplies. Shall we leave or does sleeping beauty need to leave?"

I glanced over at Alex. I stared at him. Shall we take him along or shall we leave the bastard to fend for himself and whine over at the humans camp? I groaned and closed my eyes. "Just start up the bus, if he doesn't wanna come we'll let him get off and send him on his way."

Josh chuckled at that. "I knew you were just too kind for your own good." Josh turned and walked up to the front and took his seat in the drivers chair. If this had been the old me I would have thought the movement and situation was awkward but by now I had come to terms with this. It was just Josh being Josh. He preferred to just end conversations and get on with things at times.

Taking another glance to my right I looked at Alex, sleeping off the blood loss. Either he would become part of our new team or we'd just let him go on his way like we had Brittany.

I smirked at the thought of Brittany dating a biker. Her dad used to ride motorcycles so it wasn't too far off but it still was an odd picture of this straight laced girl from the hills of West Virginia dating a biker who hates everything. Shaking my head I quickly let all mental images and thoughts fall free and came back to earth.

By now my thoughts had dug me so deep I hadn't realized we were moving. As I came back to the surface I realized that we were heading away from Nashville and that the home of country music was getting farther and farther away. I glanced up at the front and noticed Josh watching me in the mirror. I smirked at him. "Next stop, Route 66. Let's take a historical highway across the US. Plus there will be tons of gift shops!" I giggled at that. I might be gay but the only thing I really get flamboyant about is shopping, and sometimes boys. Josh raised an eyebrow and then saluted me. " Aye aye, sir."

I chuckled at this and stood up. Quickly checking over Alex's foot and I made sure it was still, sorta, healthy. After that I went off to find something to put in the DVD player to watch. This was going to be a long trip so we might as well settle in and watch something good. Smiling I pulled out "Cars" and pulled the DVD out of the case and putting my clawed finger through the hole. Something I used to do all the time to make sure there were no scratches from me on the DVD. Walking over I happily put the DVD in and started the movie. I chuckled mentally. We were heading to Route 66 and this was a movie about friendships and preservation of our history, like Route 66. Leaning back against the foot of the couch I settled in to watch the movie.

Maybe, just maybe, our new acquaintance would become a friend like Mater.

**Authors Note**

Barely got this out on time. Job hunting and having to share my computer and resources with family I've been brought to my knees trying to do everything at once. I don't personally think this chapter suffered for that but I am quite pleased with Alex and his upcoming role in events coming up. I also feel really pleased with the story line I have now planned out that has been hinted and touched upon for a year now.

On that note I am proud to say this is now officially a year old and in a very pleasant stage. I have been looking at the plot and trying to estimate how fast I want things to move and how much more story there might be. Sorry to say readers but my estimates are aiming at between 23 to 28 chapters. From the looks that will leave the story with a decent length and gives me enough time to have the story continue progressing up to a climax and then bring you down gently for the end.

One more proud note, I've checked recently and it still boggles my mind how many reviews and views this story has received. Starting out I had, on all stories combined, a total of about 5 reviews. And here we are a year later and 54 times people have wrote in to tell me what they think either encouraging me or informing me about something and critiquing the story. I am so pleased to finally see people enjoying the story and to finally have a chance to learn more about what you, the readers like and how to cater more to you and how to become a better writer myself. So thank you, everyone one of you. Be a random reader or a regular reviewer, thank you.


	17. Hooking Up, Stealing, and Other Things

A hand gripped my shoulder and softly shook me. I yawned and noncommittally pushed the offending arm away as I woke up. It had been four days since the separation of our group and the addition of Alex. Speaking of Alex, the guy had yet to wake up. Josh speculates he might of lost more blood than we had known. Which is alright by me.

Opening my eyes the blurry afternoon light of New Mexico streaked into my vision. I groaned as I raised my head and leaned back trying to crack my back. Being a hunter and sitting wasn't exactly working out. We had stopped several times over the last four days, building up our tourist item collection and I had been... saving the model railroad supplies and toy trains from any hobby shop I found.

"Morning, just thought I'd inform you that I plan to head up to Vegas and then up to Sacramento then down to San Francisco. I know you wanted to do Route 66 all the way but this will cut our chances of hitting pre infection traffic jams and bring our trip down to a few days. On the positive side we'll drive across the Golden Gate."

Josh was standing next to me and seemed absolutely beaming. I smiled up at him and closed the distance giving him a chaste kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and I wrapped mine around his neck. I smiled into the kiss as Josh parted my lips. Memories of the day after Alex joined us, or well the first day he was in a coma-ish state, came back to me smoothly.

That day we decided to stop at a rest stop and have a picnic lunch under a tree. The objective, Josh said, was to get to know each other. Just those few hours sitting there talking changed so much. I had found out his favorite color was once black but now he really couldn't choose one color, and that his taste in music was a little darker than mine with heavy rock, one or two screamo, and a few depressing rap songs. We laughed and joked over how opposite that was of mine with a boat load of love songs, light pop, and energetic dance mixes. I also found out that before the infection he had been a skateboarder. I just laughed a little and told him how stereotype that was.

His tongue explored my mouth as I stroked my own along the underside of his. We weren't sub and dom, we were equals. He was just a tad more forceful than me at times.

His tongue slowly retreated and I reopened my eyes. I gazed into his beautiful red eyes. Ever since I had met him his eyes had slowly been losing their glow. I just hadn't really taken the time to look at them. Now that they weren't so bright I could see the details. The dark red orb that had taken over the pupils and the small dark line surrounding that. It almost looked like something out of science fiction.

"Your eyes are gorgeous Josh" I stared deeply into them and could feel the emotions radiating from him. The kindness and gentleness that seems to speak so loudly from his eyes. I almost forgot that he and I were infected with a disease. A disease that causes us to hunger flesh and tear out throats. He let out a deep chuckle and shook his head a bit. I smiled at such simple gestures. We weren't monsters, we were diseased people who needed love, care, and attention. I felt a small smirk tug at the corner of my mouth. Things I definitely planned on giving this man.

"Such a weird time for you to comment on that." Josh scrunched up his eye brows a little but kept smiling. "So I take it you don't mind the travel changes?" My shy side rose up and a blush graced my cheeks. Nervously I glanced at the floor. "Nope, as long as I'm with you." I nearly groaned at my own corny line.

Josh cupped my cheek and had me look up into his eyes again. He gave me a large smiled and a small peck on the cheek before turning and going back to the drivers seat. A smile graced over my features as I stared at his back. He still had the Lionel sticker I had placed there on day two after we had found a model railroad store. I smiled as even larger as I remembered what happened that day.

"You can't be serious Josh. You must of seen a model railroad at least once in your life! How can you not find them a tiny bit interesting?" We were standing outside a model railroad and hobby shop in Memphis. Josh was currently trying to find out if the building was alarmed and if so was there still power to keep the alarm on. If not we'd just break in.

If there was power we'd have to be ready to fight. Commons and normal special infected don't exactly care if you are infected or not after setting off an alarm. They just kinda, attack those who did it. Kinda like revenge for destroying their silence.

"I'm serious, most kids at my school only played video games. Nobody really had the hobby of a real physical object. Plus I was a punk. I rode around on a skateboard, shaggy hair, spray paint can on my belt. I didn't really have time to focus on such things." Josh stepped back from the door and kicked the glass. Little shards clattered down from around the hole he made. I glanced around to see if any commons or specials had noticed.

"No alarm, now just give me a second and I'll have this door open for you. Where do you plan to put them anyway?" I looked up into Josh's eyes with a smirk. He raised an eyebrow before raising his hands. "Okay, fine, surprise me." I chuckled at the memory. Slowly I turned around in my seat on the bus. On top the totes and crates were now cardboard boxes of the items we took from stores including the model railroading stores. I'm glad I loved Tetris at one time in my life.

I spun around on my seat and faced outward watching the flat scenery pass by. While we were in the shop I found some stickers. Naturally I went to hug Josh and thank him for bringing me there. Oh and I pressed the sticker firmly into his shirt and smoothed it over as if I was massaging his back. He never noticed a thing. The brown, sorta redish landscape seemed to stretch off to the end of the world as Josh steered us down another abandoned interstate.

Stretching I spun to my left and pick up a hat off the edge of the TV. Day 3 we had stopped by a clothing store and got all three of us, well Josh and I grabbed stuff in our sizes and we guessed for Alex, new clothing. I stared into the dark gray fedora. Slowly I placed it on my head and twisted my hair to look decent under the hat. Ever since I put this hat on I knew it just fit and fit it did. I wore it everywhere that wasn't the bus. If any survivor who didn't know about intelligent infected saw me they'd have to do a double take to realize I was infected.

Day four was the most interesting. Yesterday, Josh formally asked me out. After three days of talking and getting to know each other I couldn't help but want to be closer to this man... well... boy really.

Sighing I glanced over at Alex. He was much younger than either of us. Had the infection really robbed us of something? Had it forced us to grow up so much that we forgot we were teenagers and not twenty or thirty year olds? I shook my head and rid myself of those thoughts.

I yawned and slowly put my head back down. A short nap while Josh drove wouldn't be too bad. Darkness enclosed around me as my mind drifted far away from the speeding bus. The darkness shifted into Pittsburgh before the infection. I was standing in Station Square. I smiled as I walked through the mall like place. I passed person after person but they didn't seem to notice me.

Turning a corner and found myself standing at the subway station next to Station Square. I glanced up and down the platform for the train but nothing came. Glancing out away from the station I found the city wasn't as pretty as it was before. A few cars seemed to have gotten in a fender bender and a few people were running around. Quickly I stepped down off the platform and ran over to the cars. Might as well see if everyone was okay.

But now I'm standing next to a window, high above the world. Looking down I see a pristine city. I turn around laughing to a guy I'd met a long time ago. His face seems dark. Turning back to the city I find it a very different place. Buildings are smoking, some are destroyed, one or two are leveled.

And then there's a yell. It sounds raw and throaty, like from someone who hasn't used their voice in a while. I open my eyes up and find myself back in the bus, but the yelling hasn't stopped. Turning around I find Alex to be sitting straight up looking into... a blanket stuck on his face. "Oh my god I'm blind!"

I just stared at him in shock. Slowly I started laughing and stood up. Walking over I pulled the blanket off. "You're not blind Alex, you're just not paying attention." "He glanced up at me and let out a sound close to "hmph." I just snickered some more.

"Says the guy who shot me, and let me guess, kidnapped me." I rolled my eyes at him and sat down at the table. "Kidnap you? More like we took you with us when we noticed you wouldn't wake and your injuries were really bad. Plus, if it makes you feel better, we got you some new clothes."

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Alex perked up at that. "Fine, I guess I'm sorry, but can I get off soon?" I turned around and looked at him. And then I glanced out side. Alex followed my line of sight.

I smirked. "Well unless you want to be stuck in a desert, I'd advise staying with us. We should be in Vegas tomorrow and you can get off there." I heard Alex make a groaning sound that sound part angry part frustrated.

I glanced up towards the front of the bus and noticed Josh was smirking at me. I rolled my eyes. The first guy to make me feel safe was now making me feel like either a bad ass or a really rude guy. I'm not sure which. So I'll take the one that sounds hotter.

Turning back round I glanced at Alex and noticed he was looking around. I vaguely noticed the wheels turning as he plotted escapes, probably figuring how to rip my throat out and use his tongue to save him. I laughed when he finally noticed I was watching him. Observant, till he was being watched and then it all fell apart.

I didn't have to look at him to feel the intensity of his glare. "Hey! I'm just being cautious. I don't exactly like the idea of trusting the guy who shot me. By the way, Fuck you! I did not enjoy the feeling of losing blood because some idiot shot me." I snickered a bit. Alex was either going to be the best comedian we'd both meet, or he'd strangle us in our sleep. Either way, this was going to be a fun trip now.

**Author's Note**

****It's been a while... Sorry for the short chapter but life hit me fast and just as fast it disappeared. For the last few months I've been working 9 hour shifts 5 days a week at McDonalds and just recently quit giving me the time I needed to finally work on all my projects.

So now in my month long period between quitting and college I'm going to try and work as much as possible and at least get another chapter out, and a longer one to boot.

On the positive side, this story is not dead and I do not plan on abandoning it, ever.


	18. Via New Vegas!

"I'm hungry!" Oh was that getting annoying. "For the fourth time Alex, we'll be in Vegas soon and it'll probably be a buffet. All you can eat arms and legs with a few juicy tendons and succulent bones."

Yeah, five hours after Alex wakes up and he's already begging for food. Guess I should be easier on the guy since he was in a coma but, god damn.

Glancing up to the front I noticed Josh was keeping his eyes on the road and his lips tightly shut. I rolled my eyes and looked away from my... well he was pretty much my boyfriend now. I mean, he'd taken me on some dates, we'd done a lot of talking, we held hands... we kissed, but that's all and for some reason I felt like I'd be happy if that was all we did ever. "SHIT!"

I closed my eyes slowly and shook my head. Turning around I came face to face with Alex, trying to walk on his, recently, re-bandaged foot. "You might heal faster than humans but your foot is still tender, idiot. Lay back down and just enjoy the ride. If you really want to I'll find you a book to put your nose in. Who knows, you might become the next Hermione." A small cough from the front told me that Josh had my back and was enjoying my rant.

Alex glared up at me. "Fine, but get me a damned pencil and paper. Might as well sketch if you won't let me eat or walk." I growled at that. " Fine! Just give me a second oh mighty prince." Standing up from the bar stool I stalked into the back of the bus looking for a pencil and paper. After three hours of his whining it was getting on my nerves a bit.

After searching a bit I returned victorious and handed the paper and pencil to Alex. "There you go Alex. Draw to your hearts content and stop trying to annoy me or the driver. Who knows, he might threaten to turn this bus around." Alex rolled his eyes and took the pencil and paper. Turning I went back to my seat and glanced back out the front window. My eyes were quickly drawn to the fact that there was a town coming up.

Feeling somewhat excited I stood up and headed toward the front. Upon reaching that I stood next to Josh and watched as we got closer. As soon as I seen the town sign a smile spread across my lips. "Good news Alex, food is just minutes away. Kingman, Arizona, dead ahead." I looked over at Josh and smiled. I noticed the faint smirk on his lips.

"If what I heard in New San Francisco was true than this is an infected town. Literally, it's an all infected town with commons and smart infected only. Very few humans come here and their usually only passing through."

Josh glanced at me for a second before turning back to the road. "Why do you know so much about the world Wolfy? I mean, sure I could understand knowing about human settlements and extremely dangerous settlements but you seem to have a handle on almost every settlement in some way or another. Be it a rumor you heard or experience of being there."

Smiling I turned and pat him on the back. "When living alone and trying to survive I found that knowing where every human and every infected camp was to be a lifesaver. A way to know what towns to avoid, which to visit, who was friendly and who would shoot you a hundred feet away. As a human who could catch the infection but hadn't, I wasn't taking my chances." With that I went back to my seat and awaited our arrival.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Alex watching me. I didn't look over but I guess he was trying to figure me out and was having some trouble. I barely noticed the town begin to pass us by as my mind began to sink into a memory of one of those occasions where my information had been wrong.

I was running, panting heavily, a desert eagle in one hand and an Ak-47 strapped to my back. The roar sounded as if it was right behind me,it was deep and baritone but rough and raw. I pushed harder as I heard the pounding of the tank behind me trying to catch up. The earth seemed to rumble and roll as I ran through the building. The wood floor cracking under the tanks weight and his punches as he ran.

I launched my self into a stairwell and started heading down. I had only started down the second turn when the tank smashed through the doorway and came charging into the stairwell. I aimed my pistol up and stopped for a second, I took two shots up the flight of stairs at the tank and went back to running.

Right now I was in a town three days out of Denver, a town named Sterling. My informant in Denver told me this town was filled with supplies, what a liar he turned out to be.

I bust through a set of double door and rushed into into a lobby. As I reached the front door I heard the tank smash through the doors. Turning around I slung my Ak-47 into my left hand and took a few shots before pushing the door and racing out onto the street. Turning left I ran down the street shooting the Ak behind me and aiming my Eagle at commons in front of me.

The sound of coughing to my left had me turning and aiming both pistol and AK at a smoker. He was gone in a second and I was back to running full force. Twisting round I let loose a barrage of bullets at the tank. And that's when the pistol went click. Thrusting it into my gun holster I listed the AK-47 back up and let loose into the charging tank. It let out another roar that became a dying scream. The large mass of flesh fell down dead and rolled towards me. I slowly backed up from the dead tank as he flopped to a stop.

Turning back round I started walking away towards the exit to town. No way in hell was I going to believe Santiago next time I visited Denver. "Sterlings safe, most of the buildings have supplies and tanks and witches were killed off months ago leaving a few commons but safe overall." Bullshit Santiago, bullshit. Pulling out my map as I walked I pulled the marker off the top and opened it up. Stopping for a second I knelt down and placed a red line through the name Sterling on the map.

Picking the map up I folded it up and hooked the marker over the top. I put it back where I hid it and went back on my way towards the next civilized town. That was the day I learned to question various people about reports and settlements before just believing them.

A hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present and my eyes refocused onto a teal colored building. I felt his breath tickle my ear before he said anything. "We've arrived. I decided we might as well go eat at a restaurant with Route 66 in its name so here we are." Shivers of pleasure ran up and down my spine as Josh whispered in my ear.

"Mkay, just... back up or else we'll have an issue that doesn't involve the type of hunger they can sate." Josh chuckled into my ear. I felt his tongue dart out of his mouth and slowly lick along the edge of my ear. Vaguely I heard someone step on the stairs.

"Are you guy... Oh god! My eyes! I can't unsee that!" I rolled my eyes and turned to look at Alex. He was wearing a purple jacket with some type of logo on it. I raised an eyebrow at him. " I know we didn't pick that out, where have you been hiding that?" Alex looked away from my gaze. "I'm not telling you, anyway, are you too done with your soft core porn or do I have to go vomit before we eat?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Not into hot, manly, love?" Alex gagged and looked away. "Yeah, I don't mind a guy or girl but really, not right now. Please, I'd like to be able to eat." I turned the rest of the way around and gave Josh a peck on the lips. "Alright fine, let's go find out how good or bad their food is." I listened as Alex stepped off the bus pretending to vomit, Josh slowly shook his head and smirked at me. "Damn, when did we have a kid?" I chuckled and stood up, putting my arms around him. " No idea, but at least he's good looking. Shall we go dine with him?" I waved my left hand in front of us toward the door. Josh moved his right hand up and grabbed it. "Let's!" I chuckled as Josh pulled us to the front of the bus like that.

As we stepped off the bus I noticed Alex was leaning against it on our right. "Really? Couldn't stand up straight long enough for us to get off the bus? I know you told me being a smoker was unhealthy but this is unreal." I smiled and turned away from the angry glare he was giving me. "I was waiting for you two to stop making out and being all lovey dovey."

Josh walked along my side and I could hear Alex's steps behind us. As we stepped inside we were immediately greeted by a witch. "Hi and welcome to 'Mr D's Route 66 Diner' my name was Cindy but you can call me Sugar. How many infected are in your party?" I coughed and moved forward Josh snickered as he seemed to catch on to what I was doing.

"Hello Sugar, we have two adult hunters and one child smoker with us." The indignant cry behind me told me all I had to know." Hey! I'm not a child! I'm 16 years old!" I glanced back at him then back at the witch. "Alright, correction, a spoiled teenager." The growl behind me told me I'd hit the nail on the head on how to irritate him.

The witch in front of us, wearing a modified bra and panties, just kept on smiling, her pointy teeth natural to the infected around her but horrifying to most humans. Her clothing seemed to have been modified with added pockets to her bra and panties almost as if they were now a shirt and pants. She waved her clawed hand behind her. " Right this way then." Picking up three menus she led us into the restaurant. In front of us was a small bar area that looked half natural, have built out of old restaurant equipment, and lining the isle were booths, some filled, a few empty.

Sugar led us to the one closest to the bar. Placing two menus on the side closest to the bar and the other across from us we all too our seats, Josh on the inside, me on the outside, and Alex sat by himself across from us still glaring at me.

Glancing around the resturant I noticed a spitter, two chargers, one hunter, and a witch couple. Ignoring Alex I picked up my menu and glanced at what they had. I felt my heart leap at some of the dishes. A rack of tendons, boiled legs, skinned arms, raw feet, oh look, crunchy fingers!

"Oh look, tongue soup for Alex. Doesn't that sound wonderful Wolfy?" I nudged Josh at his comment and tried to hide my smile. Then I glanced at the top of the page. " Even better Josh, let's get the 'Braaaains Platter' it includes mutilated muscles made to look like a brain covered in a heaping of warmed blood, with fried scrotum. No actual brain included. Hows that sound Alex?"

Glancing up I noticed Alex was actually turning a shade green. "Uhm, how about you just get something simple like an arm or a leg?" He actually almost seemed grateful when he met my eyes. "Yeah, sure, delicious." With that he almost slammed his menu down and started to look away. I glanced over at Josh. " So shall we also do desert? I see they have glazed eyeballs, fried scrotum, and brownies."

"I'll take the brownies!" I glanced over my menu at Alex who was slightly blushing. Josh turned to me. "I'll pass on that. I think I'll just go for the 'Brains Platter' how about you?" I turned back to my menu and felt my mind race a bit. Brains platter or a rack of tendons? Oh so going for the rack. " I'll just go with a rack of tendons. Nothing too exotic for me this time." Josh shrugged his shoulders and handed me his menu. "Alright, if you see anything you want to try off mine go ahead, I won't mind sharing."

Vaguely I heard Alex gag across from us. "You two really need to just, get a room and just shag each other." Josh and I rolled our eyes and turned back to watching the restaurant, waiting for Sugar to come back.

As we waited I tried picking out what people were saying. "...Really weird mutations in this city in the midwest, their hunters are huge..." "...Oh and Shelby said she was walking in mountains and once found this small town covered in fog..." "...She said that was one of the scariest things she ever seen..." "... Did you hear about that group from Atlanta? Survivors made themselves a home inside a prison. Amazing..." After listening in on various conversations for a few more minutes I just tuned them out and decided to just wait again.

After a few more minutes the witch came back with notepad in hand. "Would you boys like anything to drink first? We have sugar water, human blood, animal blood, root beer, water, and sweet tea." Alex raised his hand first. Josh and I both looked at him and waited, putting him on the spot. "I'll have a Root Beer please." Sugar nodded and wrote it down on her pad before turning to Josh and I. Smiling I turned to Josh and put him on the spot. " Uh, I'd like a water please." Putting my arm around Josh I turned back to Sugar. " And I'd like a sweet tea, please." She nodded and kept writing.

As soon as she was done she looked up at us all. "Alright, so are you ready to order?" We all nodded and looked over at Alex deciding to repeat the last order. "Alrighty then... I'd like the boiled legs and brownies for desert." The witch seemed to smile at that. "Good choices, I personally love the brownies, their so sweet and delicious."

I waved for Alex's menu and he handed it over. Everyone turned to Josh. "I'll have the Brains Platter, please." Sugar nodded, " Another good choice, had a regular hunter come in and try it a few days ago, said it was the best thing he'd tasted in a long time."

Josh handed me his menu as well and it was all down to me. "Hmm, I think I'll go with the rack of tendons, can you make sure their extra juicy?" Looking up from my menu to Sugar I noticed she was smirking. "We sure can, any preference for if you want it tough or stringy?" Smiling up at her I shook my head. "Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks." After she put her pen and pad into her bra pocket she took our menus and walked away.

We all sat in silence waiting for our drinks. It wasn't an awkward silence, more like a restful one.

After a few minutes Sugar returned with our drinks. We all thanked her and she walked away to serve another customer. After taking a sip of my tea I realized the great amount of sugar they must of put in it. Coughing I smiled and look at Alex then Josh shaking my head. "Be warned Alex, that brownie might be loaded with sugar. It seems like these items were made to appeal to witches love of sugar." He made a twisted face but waved it off.

After a few more seconds of silence Alex spoke up. "So where are you two heading?" I glanced over to Josh and then back to Alex. Might as well tell him since he seems keen to ride with us. "New San Francisco, it's a human and infected colony I'm part of. I'm sorta their explorer who comes back every few months with new news. I picked up Josh in a small town in Pennsylvania actually. He decided to follow me home like a lost puppy." Josh slapped me on the back of the head. "That is not true. I followed you because you asked me if I wanted to and I decided too." I rolled my eyes. " Uh huh, sure, tell that to me two months ago."

"I couldn't, you were too busy stealing a train. Which I had to ride on top of, I mean really, you couldn't wait up for me?" I threw my hands in the air. "I didn't even know you were on board till the next morning when you fell on the hood." Alex looked between Josh and I. "Rewind, did you just say you stole a train? I mean a bus sure but a freakin' train? What were they all out of tanks at the 'Large Vehicles R' Us'?"

"Yup and they told me I had bad credit anyway." Alex just gave me a leveled stare. "No, more like I was improvising, found an abandoned train that was fueled up and just... took it. Trust me that is the least insane thing that has happened during my time exploring the infection. One time when exploring for the colony they sent me to Disneyland, near LA, looking for survivors. Zombies in giant Mickey Mouse costumes, and mutilated child corpses are what I found. Disney is no longer the Happiest Place on Earth." I shook my head and took in Alex's appearance, he looked midway between grossed out and horrified.

A chuckle behind us alerted us to someone listening in. I turned around to face the person. A charger stood at the bar looking at us. "Giant zombie Mickey Mouses, huh, bet that wasn't something you see every day. Names Roger and I'm the bar tender here. Heard some weird stories but that takes the cake..."

I gave the man a smirk, "Wolfy, names Wolfy. This here is Josh on my left and that's Alex behind me." Roger nodded and waved at us with his smaller hand. "Nice to meet you all. Say are you all heading to New Vegas?" I glanced over at Josh who nodded. Turning back to Roger I nodded. "Ah, well then here's some advice, get in and get out. New Vegas isn't the city you once thought it was. It's now the city of peoples dreams and their horrors."

"Thanks for the tip Roger, we just wanted to get some supplies but if it's that bad we'll just pass through." I went to turn around when I noticed a guy dressed up in leather walk up to the bar. Keeping an ear open I took a sip of my tea and listened in on what this biker guy wanted. "Afternoon Max, what brings you down south?" The new guy grunt, probably sitting down. "Running from the mafia. Decided to get out of New Vegas before it got worse. Mr Salieri decided to take over the Mandalay Bay and Salvatore is pissed. Then Cortez decided to leverage that and is supposedly going to attack Salieri's men downtown. He way to try and get out of that Treasure Island Hotel his crew has been stuck in. And then there is Mikhail Faustin who is just trying to bring more guns into the city to fuel both of them while he has his prostitutes hanging round Caesars Palace and some of the smaller casinos on the strip. He might be the newest but I have a feeling he'll be the most underhanded of them all."

After that Roger and Max start talking in hushed whispers. It only took another minute or two before Sugar walked up to our table and handed out the food. Josh and Alex both dug straight into their food. I waited a second, letting the new information sit in my mind. Sighing I shook my head and dug my claws into the tendons and ripped out a chunk with my teeth and started chewing.

After a half hour of eating I finished off my plate. Patting my stomach with my bloody claws I looked up at Alex and over to Josh. They both seem just as bloody and just as full. Sugar had already come by and left the check. Glancing it over I found the price to be about 40 USD, naturally I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hundred I'd stole a long time ago. When Sugar came back to pick up the plates I handed her the money and the check and told her to keep the change.

As we stood up to leave I heard Roger mention something loudly to Max. "Damn that Gregory fellow. He's leading that lot he calls his army to die. The army will tear them to shreds in LA!" I glanced between Roger and my group. Seeing Josh and Alex already leaving I decided it wasn't worth it and chased after them. Didn't matter anyway, we were heading north, not into LA.

A black car sat out front the diner now. It's gold emblem shining in the sun. It was a nice car but anyone who'd drive something that small in this apocalypse was absolutely mad.

As we climbed back on the bus feeling of uneasiness overcame me. Rogers warning echoed in the back of my mind. As I stepped up beside Josh I turned to him in the drivers seat. "Try to drive through New Vegas, we can't exactly skip it so just drive through and slow down. Anyone jump in your way, run em over. We're not stopping till we are on the other side heading for Indian Springs." Josh nodded and I stepped past him to take my usual seat.

Alex was mumbling under his breathe about his foot but he seemed to be taking it better as he sat on the couch drawing feverishly. I slowly shook my head and folded my arms on the table. Might as well take a nap before anything happens. I was out as soon as my eye closed and my forehead touched my arm.

When I woke it must have been some time later as the sun was starting to set. We were passing through the suburbs but it was obvious that downtown New Vegas was up ahead. The lights of the strip shinned brightly in wake of the dimming sun. A world left untouched seemed to shine in the distance, a reminder of what was forever lost.

Glancing out over the interstate it was unsurprising to see a vast number of leaving vehicles being reduced compared to other cities. We were, after all, in the City of Sin, what a better place to finally die or to gamble your life away.

The old interstate signs kept indicating we were getting closer and closer to the airport. Ya know when you get the case of the jitters and you want to just... jump out of your skin and yell " No, no, no!" That's exactly how I felt as we kept getting closer.

It was when we arrived at the airport exit and there were 18 wheelers blocking the interstate when I realized how screwed we were if we didn't prepare. Without thinking I stood up and walked to the back of the bus.

After some digging around I pulled out a combat shotgun and loaded it up. Turning I noticed Alex was giving me a weird look. Without thinking I tossed him a pistol. "Josh, be on the look out for snipers, and if you see any hit the gas. We're entering New Vegas. If Roger was right, then we might possibly be ambushed, and if not, I have a feeling we're about to see some fucked up shit."

As we moved farther up the avenue the commons became increasing in numbers. Then all of a sudden the group of them dispersed and they were gone. That was never a good sign if the commons were scared enough to stay away. "Josh, push that pedal to the metal, we're in trouble." Looking out the window we watched the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign rush past us. Up ahead on our left was the Mandalay Bay. The first change we noticed were new tall walls surrounding the hotel grounds.

As we rushed passed it we started looking ahead. The first thing we noticed about the next hotel was that unlike the Mandalay Bay, the Luxor had no security wall. Instead there were twenty guards outside guarding it. Also another noticeable change was the wooden stage in the parking lot. The words " Slave Auction" wrote in black across a banner. Humans and infected seemed to line the stage as a crowd was gathered.

The next on our left was Excalibur and that was the hardest to see what happened there. From the glimpses through the wooden wall you could see knights in armor, women in gowns, and fires. It also seemed to be the only hotel that didn't have power so far. But soon it too was behind us.

The Tropicana, New York, New York, and MGM Grand flew by at our sides. It wasn't till Caesars Palace that we got out next big shock. Sure, Vegas was known to have prostitutes and was a city of lust as well as its other crimes but a full out orgy in public? What the fuck happened to this city when the world ended? It seemed like the police and law and order abandoned the city and crime took over. I felt myself shudder at the sight of men, women, children, humans, and infected in one large roman orgy. Josh seemed to slow down for that but as soon as we were by I heard the engine rev up again.

Flashes of images out side the windows seemed to fly by our bus, women standing on street corners practically nude except for their panties or G string. Males taking them be they human or witch or spitter right there in public. Shootout of one mafia versus another was in full swing as few flew by. A rape in progress on the sidewalks and nobody cared, a guy getting his throat torn out on the other side of the road, heck we even passed a street where we saw a tank chasing after some girl with three hunters behind him yet nobody seemed to be helping any of them.

I was standing next to Josh as our bus rushed down the street, dodging old cars and pedestrians. I stopped looking at the people, stopped trying to see the horrors of New Vegas and focused on the Stratosphere. It was one of the taller buildings and one of the areas that marked the end of the strip most people know.

Darkness fell as we sped down the boulevard. The lights of our bus and the remnants of power in the Stratosphere were our only guides through this physical hell. Soon enough we passed the Stratosphere's white glory and took a left getting away from what we'd just seen. It was as if the Stratosphere was a pillar of light in a sea of darkness.

"Take the next left up here. There must be a way back onto the interstate now." Josh nodded in silences and slowly started maneuverings the bus through the backstreets of old Las Vegas. Another half hour and we were out of the city and on a two lane road heading to Indian Springs.

Silence rained down over all of us after what we just seen settled in. Alex was, surprisingly, the first one to speak up and voice what we were all thinking. "That was fucked up."

**Author Note**

****So, another chapter. Another step closer to New San Francisco. There was a lot of talking in this chapter but I feel like most of the dialogue was setting up Alex and showing Josh and Wolfy's reactions to him now that they've actually spent time with him. Don't expect the next chapter to come this fast, but I might put it out in the next few weeks considering how close we are getting to wrapping up this trip across what's left of America. Till then, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.


	19. Golden Gates, Cable Cars, and Alcatraz

It's been three days since we were in Kingsman. We passed through Reno, where we got to see first hand what happened when the feral infected were able to attack and take back a place. Almost looked like another CEDA evacuation, only there seemed to be more bodies and more broken, or jammed guns and weapons lying around.

After that we passed through Sacramento which had a few survivors walking around but they seemed to ignore us for the most part. It mostly seemed like sparse groups from Reno who still seemed shell shocked or just lost.

As of right now, all I know is that we are in some dry, grassy, hills and we could be entering the Bay Area soon. Josh was keeping quiet and Alex was busy drawing. From what I seen he was doing various character and human sketches. He wasn't so good at animals, but people, that is where his specialty lay.

A large sigh escaped my lips as I turned from staring at Alex to staring out the window. "Okay, I'm a tad bored, mind if I bother you Josh?" Glancing up into the mirror I noticed Josh shrug. "Sure, why not, not like I'd mind." A warm feeling flood my stomach. I was touched and suddenly feeling really girly.

I almost sprinted to the front and stood next to him. "Ya know Josh, if Alex wasn't here we could be having sooo much fun right now." Josh glanced over and gave me an amused eyebrow raise. The small gag from the back of the bus proved that Alex could hear us.

Shaking my head, smiling, I turned back to the windshield. The freeway seemed almost deserted. No abandoned cars, no dead bodies, heck no crashed planes. It was quite, relaxing, and creepy at the same time. The world had ended as we knew it but this small piece seemed as if it was just another day before the infection, with slightly less amount of vehicles.

As the bus climbed the hill I felt a sense of anticipation welling up in myself. Out of the corner of my eye a sign declaring a rest stop up ahead went unnoticed. As we topped the hill excitement overwhelmed me. Before us in the valley lay the San Pablo Bay. San Francisco was just hours away now.

As we by passed the rest stop I nudged Josh. "Take the next right, unless you want to fight with left over infected and left over traffic." Josh rose his eyebrow but didn't say anything. "If memory serves me right there are thirteen survivor colonies around the bay. One for some of the old metropolitan areas, or that's how it used to be a few weeks ago. A lot can change in that amount of time in this new world."

A memory flashed before my eyes. Knock, knock,knock. "Order. I said order!" The room fell silent. "Good, now that it is nice and quiet, start by introducing who you represent. From then on we will call you by that name. Let's keep personal names out of here, as right now we are all speaking for our colonies and not ourselves." I smirked at Nelson. He was our chairman after our internal election. He was also the leader of the New San Francisco colony whom everyone reported too. Each colony had voted a delegate and somehow I had gotten elected to represent New San Francisco. Yeah, can't figure out how I won either.

Nelson pointed at the African American on his right. The man slowly stood up, the room's light bouncing off his baldhead. The man pushed the wrinkles out of his gray jacket. "I am here to represent Oakland." A few members politely clapped. Mr. Oakland as he would be known for the meeting, bowed and then took his seat.

The next member stood up. She was wearing a navy blue suit that almost seemed to contrast her blonde hair. Her huge grin could be called a politician's smile and I felt my inner cynic come out before I could stop it. My god was it obvious she used to do this all the time. Probably an ex lawyer, perfect just what we don't need. "I'm representing Napa Valley. We're a little out in the country but we felt it important to meet all our neighboring colonies and start trading."

Knock, "Well that's all fine and dandy, and we're glad to have you, but we'll keep that till after the main business is done. At that time everyone will have their chance to sell their settlements goods to everyone else. Deal? Good. Next!"

I quickly covered my mouth as I noticed the woman's smile faltered for a split second before bowing and retaking her seat. Way to go Nelson.

The next to stand up was an obvious nerd. His nerdy glasses, full beard, and his medium length brown hair screamed ex-nerd. He gave us all a broad smile in his green turtlekneck sweater. "Hello, I'm representing Sunnyvale. The remains of Silicon Valley would like to say hello."

A few people clapped but it seemed more awkward for them than anything. The next eight camps flew by without so much as a laugh or awkward pause. There was Marin City, San Quentin, Richmond, Berkeley, Fremond,Burbank, San Jose, and Pacifica.

The twelfth, on my left, stood up. If his tribal tattoos didn't freak you out then his necklace made out of rings might. "I'm from Vallerjo, though our settlement is on Mare Island. I am not here to make deals, I am here to meet the remains of society." With that out of the way he sat down and all eyes focused on me.

Gulping down some of my old choir and broadcasting training I stood up. "I am representing New San Francisco. We would like to thank all of you for accepting our invitations to this... Let's think of it as our paradise island." A guy in the back of the room chuckled softly. "Now that introductions are out of the way I'll hand it back over to the judge to decide the first order of business." I waved my hand and turned to Nelson. After he nodded I went to sit down. It felt as if time slowed down as my racing heart returned to a normal pace and the rush of blood surged through my body.

The memory shifted and changed, two hours, several discussions, and a few deals later I found myself talking with the guy from Vallerjo. "Yeah, we set up on the Mare Island for protection. Then again considering we are using Alcatraz as our 'capital' right now, gotta say this seems more protected. Just wondering, how did your colony find a ferry that wasn't sunk to the bottom of the bay?"

I chuckled and waved away his question. "One of our citizens is an ex-ferry captain and knew where a few ferries were being kept in case the infection blew over." The man nodded at my reply but he didn't say much else. It didn't help that we both were quickly distracted and sent our own ways either.

Shaking the memories loose I glanced out at the interstate laid before us and the upcoming interchange. "Go left, and then go right at the one after that. If nothing has changed then it'll take us over and passed Mare Island. A settlement is over there in the old Navy base. Don't wish to stop there though, too close to home to visit old acquaintances." Josh nodded but I glimpsed at the smile slowly spreading across his face.

It wasn't till after we passed the metal walls of the survivor camp and started to speed down the back road that I got a good look at the bay to our right. San Pablo Bay, the one of many bays in the bay area. The view was amazing. The hills on the other side of the bay across from us almost touched the horizon and seemed like tiny lumps. A small smile spread across my lips at the sight.

"I only ever seen this for a few months. Even more during my time as an ambassador for New San Francisco. Sometimes I wouldn't get off when the ferry. I'd just ride around to the other colonies, meeting points and see the sights that, while it is man made, it is in a way a tourist would never see it before. Ruins, yet beautiful."

I turned round and looked at Alex. He seemed deep in thought for a second before looking up and meeting my gaze. "Why did you do it?" He seemed to hesitate for a second unsure if he was clear enough. "Why did you decide to become a scout if you were an ambassador once?"

I felt the memory rise up and a smile graced my features. "Why? Well this is what happened." No longer was I on the bus, I was standing on a B.A.R.T. platform. The wooden walls and ads looked like a half built building but was supposedly artistic. I personally didn't have much of an interest in modern art like the one used in this station.

After my first few months and various deals with the survivors in Berkeley and Oakland we were able to set up a new Bay Area Rapid Transit system. The trains running out of New San Francisco used steam, Berkeley used solar, and Oakland was using what ever they could find but with some work, and a boost to all of our new economies and job markets, we created a transportation system between each other. It made life very interesting since it allowed people from the three survivor camps to mingle. If it weren't for the zombie you'd pass or the occasional tank in a station you'd almost think things were back to normal.

On this day I was heading over to Oakland to finalize a deal between us. The deal would land them a cache of melee weapons, to be exact baseball bats and some crowbars, and would land us some extra food and a good amount of ammo. As I stood there on the platform waiting for the train to arrive I had plenty of time to think.

Memories crept up on me as I stood there waiting, memories of driving across America, of the nonstop fighting, the exploring and adventure that was life after human dominance. I started to get pumped up and excited just remembering my past adventures. I nearly jumped out of my skin when some guys I knew from Oakland tapped me on the shoulder. They alerted me that the train had arrived and unless I wanted to miss the meeting I should probably get on.

After that deal I told Nelson to hold a new election, that I was demoting myself to scout and that I was going to go out and see the nation. Late winter I was out of the city and exploring the remains of the world. Finding out useful information for me and for my colony.

"So... That is why I decided to become a scout. Stupid reasoning but... you only get to live... twice? Yeah I guess twice if you count the infected life as a new life."

By now the bus had grown quiet and Alex just gave me the blankest stare he could muster. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to looking out the window. Josh smiled at me and pushed against my arm. "Look on the bright side, you did become a scout and you met us." A blush crept across my face. "Yeah... that is true."

Watching the landscape, and ignoring all thoughts of Josh. I watched as we took the left lane up and over on the interchange onto Redwood Highway. "If memory serves me correctly than Redwood Highway should take us directly to the Golden Gate." Josh nodded out of the corner of my eye. I felt a sense of pride well up in me. Here was someone listening to my navigation advice, something anyone rarely did before the infection.

After a few minutes we were passing through Greenbrae on a bridge connected to an onramp. To our left was an old, railroad, drawbridge that seemed to have been abandoned way before the infection.

"Jesus! Where did all these commons come from!" Josh's voice pulled me back toward the front window. The road in front of us was littered with common infected. It seemed as if a horde had been alerted to our presence or something.

"Gun it Josh!" To emphasis my statement we slammed into the first common. There was a slight jolt through the bus. Blood smeared at the bottom of the windshield. Josh revved the engine and the bus jerked forward into the mass of infected bodies. The bangs of skulls and necks cracking as they hit the bus's front was both sick and distrubing but seemed to get louder the farther in to the mass we went. Relief overcame me as I seen the end was in sight as our bus slipped on a rather decayed body. The mass of infected was thinning out as we exited the town.

As we continued away from the massacure we had just left, we passed a green sign. "San Francisco 10 Miles" I glanced around from Josh back to Alex with my eyebrows raised. Almost home yet it doesn't feel the same. I chuckled softly. Maybe it was because I was coming home with a boyfriend and a new friend. Yeah, that might be why.

I watched as we passed the Marin City survivor colony, they had turned their small suburban area into a complex that would rival some the military's attempts. With ten foot tall concrete walls topped with various sharp objects, it was quite a deadly wall. After passing them the hillside to our right thinned out and became filled with trees and bushes. The decently maintained road was now suddenly covered with grass and bushes. After two minutes of transversing through that we entered a tunnel

As we exited the tunnel we were treated to a sight. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed up ahead on the left, it's fading red paint showed a reflection of what it was as it sat with grand splendor over the bay. Its two towering suspension towers stood tall and strong.

The traffic started to build up here as cars were both trying to enter and exit the city. People had both been convinced to leave the city as well as come to it for evacuation and medication. Both of those pieces of advice lead to car jams and large groups of people in the open, alone, in groups, and defenseless. It was a mass buffet for the infected, which is why all of a sudden there seemed to be a large group of common infected milling around.

I smiled broadly as I watched Josh navigate through the traffic as if he was piloting a jet plane. The precision as we weaved around cars and traffic, ran over infected, and even plowed through a few cars was quite a spectacle.

As we reached the end of the bridge we came to a toll gate section. We weren't too worried about someone coming after us so we crashed through the gate and barbed wire fence that the military had placed to hold the infected back. This was the moment I felt all my worries fade away, we were now in San Francisco, just minutes from home.

"Know what, I think I'll see if I can get my old job back, I've done enough exploring. I met new people, found some friends, and I even fell in love. Why do I need to explore when I've done it all and lived the adventures I had always wanted and returned home with the treasures."

I looked from Josh sitting next to me to Alex laying in the back looking to see if they had any input to add. "That's okay with me, just means more time for us." Josh smiled up at me before looking back at the road seriously. Looking back at Alex I saw him raise his hand. I put on my most, annoyed and teacher-ish voice. "Yes Alex?" He glared slightly before speaking. "Why not continue being a scout? You might have had stupid reasoning at first but if there is anything that I've been able to gather over the past few days I've traveled with you, it is that you love exploring."

I nodded and turned back toward Josh. Looking out the window I was faced with the realization that the national parks and forest around the roads were already reclaiming what once belonged to them. The bus was now wadding through high grass and crashing through a few a bushes here and there.

Continuing straight we started across an overpass. It was less covered in grass and still seemed man made but even here decay was starting to show with large cracks and bits of dirt and trees growing through it. Josh navigated across the concrete structure and we slowly started to descend to Marine Boulevard.

"There was an old CEDA evacuation at the Maritime Park next to Hyde Street. You know, where they turned the cable cars around. It'll probably be blocked off so we'll have to go around it and then come back toward Fisherman's Wharf. There is a BART Station near the Ferry Terminal and if we go there we can possibly get in the station and catch a passing train to New San Francisco."

A load groan erupted from the back of the bus. "Another train? What the hell is up with you and trains, don't think I haven't tried counting all these toy train boxes. When I reached ninety eight I said forget it." I rolled my eyes and glanced at Josh who seemed to be avoiding eye contact all of a sudden. "Don't you start too." Josh snorted before shaking his head.

After a small detour via North Point Street, we continued past a horde of feral infected that seemed to be keeping the cable cars some company. We returned back to what ever street we had been on shortly after. The dense urban area kept us guessing with streets having been bombed to simple police road blocks.

We passed by Fisherman's Wharf and continued toward our goal. After a few detours around buildings that had fallen down and another around a witch we arrived at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal. "Alright just turn right and run over these zombies, it's just down the street. Alex, why don't you arm up. We'll send you out first while Josh and I lock down the bus. You'll be on look out."

"Aye Aye Captain!" I glanced back at him with an eyebrow raised. A cocky smirk was plastered across his face. Turning back round I tapped Josh on the shoulder. "Our entrance is up ahead, one on the left and one on the right side of the street. Choose which ever one you would prefer to park at. They both go down."

As we pulled up to the left one Alex tapped me on the shoulder to let me know he was there. I glanced back and nodded at his Spaz shotgun. Stepping behind him I went back and grabbed a double barrel shotgun, a Desert Eagle, and an AK 47. I grabbed some extra ammo as well and returned to the front of the bus.

Looking around I noticed Alex had already got off and was looking around the plaza. If he was searching for hostiles, or just looking around I really couldn't tell.

Smiling at Josh I leaned over and gave him a peck on the check. "How about I take you home tonight?" Josh chuckled behind me as I stepped off the bus. Turning around I handed Josh the Desert Eagle and AK-47. "We might be hunters but tanks are still a pain in the ass to kill." Josh nodded and took the weapons. "Besides what you just said Wolfy, they also make us seem more human to survivors and they'll be less likely to murder us on sight." A chuckle escape me. "Yeah, and that too Josh."

Turning back toward the escalator I noticed Alex was standing around looking up at the buildings. "Yo, day dream believer, wake up. Thought you were on point?" Alex spun around and glared at me. "I was, but now I'm enjoying the sights since you two are being mushy." Rolling my eyes I glanced back and seen Josh lock up the bus. Nodding we both started walking toward the entrance.

Looking down into the dark hole I started feel a tug of doubt in the back of my mind. "Penny for your thoughts on that, Alex." His snort told me all I needed to know. "Yeah, I totally agree. Lets just get this over with." Turning on my flashlight I started to descend into the underground station. Two more circles of light and the echoing sound of two more footsteps informed me Josh and Alex had started following me.

After a few minutes of trying to find the correct stairwell we entered the Bay Area Rapid Transit section of Embarcadero station. The walls on the opposite side of the track had large circles on them. Another attempt at being clever or modern but ended up just seeming weird.

"Beautiful hole in the ground, how about we light it up a bit." With that I pulled out a ground flare and pulled the top off. With a striking motion the platform glowed with a red light. Placing the cap on the bottom of the flare I placed the flare on the right side of the platform. That way the flare wouldn't be able to roll away.

"Now we just wait for a train to come. They'll most likely stop because of the red flare. Then we just hitch a ride to New San Francisco. If nothing has changed then there will be a short interrogation process by another intelligent infected along side a survivor. We planned it that way to always have a backup plan and never leave one person alone with strangers."

Alex and Josh nodded in the dim red glow showing they understood what I had just told them. Sighing I stepped over to one of the old benches and took a seat. "Might as well relax boys, next train might not show for another three or four minutes" Josh stepped over and took a seat next to me while Alex just sat down on the ground.

As I had predicted it was about three minutes before a bright light glowed and entered the room. There was a loud sound as metal ground against metal and the contraption came to a stop next to us.

Rising to my feet I decided to act like I was surrendering. I rose my hands into the air and awaited someone to exit the train. Looking over at Josh and Alex I realized they were doing the same thing as I was.

After a few seconds of waiting with our hands above our heads, the doors opened and two people exited the train, one was a charger and the other was a female survivor. As they got closer the flare started to illuminate their features.

A grin spread across my face as I recognized both of them. "Charles! Shirley!" The two stopped for a second, the charger's hand holding the survivor back. Alex and Josh both turned and looked at me with an incredulous look.

"_What's wrong Charles?" _The survivor looked up at the charger. He turned his head to the side for a second before replying. "_Shirley, can you light up the face of the guy on our far right?" _The survivor nodded and complied, lifting the light to my face. It stayed there for at least a minute before the charger spoke again._"That's enough Shirley, I know who it is now." _

Charles let out a chuckle before stepping forward. "You just couldn't stay human could you Wolfy? Did you get jealous of all those good looking hunters you used to hit on?"

A snort escaped me. "Me, jealous of those guys? Now who do you think you're talking to Charles?" Charles chuckled again and pulled me into a hug. "It's nice to have you home friend." I returned the hug as much as I could. " You guys can't keep me away no matter how hard you try." Charles and I let go and we both stepped back, he seemed to be grinning from ear to ear.

"So Charles, meet my travel companions. This hunk of hot stuff is my boyfriend, Josh, and the one over there that looks like he might throw up is Alex."

"I am not going to throw up!" Alex crossed his arms and glared at me.

Charles chuckled and turned back to Shirley. "_Their safe, it's just Wolfy and a few friends of his. Let's take them home so they can rest and share information. Plus Nelson will want to speak with Wolfy."_ Shirley lowered her gun and nodded. I noticed a small smile cross her lips before turning around and heading back to the train. "_Welcome back Wolf man!"_ A smile crept across my face at such a familiar gesture. Charles just grinned and waved for us to follow him.

As we stepped onto the train I felt a wave of calmness overcome me. I was home... I was safe now. Nobody would ever touch me in the wrong way ever again. Nobody close to me could ever tear my flash apart just because they hated me for who I was. As I took my seat I leaned into Josh. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. A small jolt of movement and the train was moving again. Things could only get better from here, right?

**Authors Note**

I've started college at Full Sail now so I'll try and get the next chapter out before Summer. Luckily this chapter marks the end of the second arc of Changing World. Giving closure to the goals since around chapter 11. Next chapter will be a view at home life in New San Francisco, a introduction to a large number of people, and a few more memories will appear. Also it will finally give you all an answer you have been dying to know but never knew you wanted to know.

Oh and I just thought I'd give you all fair warning but the story is going to be coming a close. Don't worry, we have at least 10 chapters left at the least.

One last thing before I let you all go, I would like to thank all of you who have made it this far. I keep track of page views, of every review, each like and favorite. They all inspire me to write and to produce a product for you to all enjoy. So thank you for giving me a bit of your time. I hope you will enjoy the next story arc as much as I have enjoyed secretly setting it up for the last 19 chapters.


	20. Briefing the Mayor

My head was feeling quite warm when waking up, it was as if my pillow was on soft, yet on fire. As I went to try and flip the pillow for the cool side, I was quickly brought up to speed feeling my hand brush a nipple and the other brush someone's morning wood. "Joooosh, I'm not ready for that." Yawning I opened my eyes and stared up into Josh's eyes. "Good morning to you too, Wolfy." Josh let out a weak chuckle before yawning himself. Feeling more awake I suddenly noticed a slamming sound come from down the hall.

"Yay,guess that means Alex is awake as well." Slowly shaking my head I crawled off Josh and stood up giving him a full view of my ass. A growl resounded behind me as I bent over and opened a drawer, looking for some clothes to wear. "You know Wolfy, if you weren't so god damn stubborn, I'd pounce you right now." I let out a chuckle as I pulled out a simple navy blue t-shirt. "I'm sure you would, and you'd gladly 'tear up my insides' just like any proper hunter should."

Pulling the shirt over my head I bent over again to search the bottom draw for some shorts. The groan I heard coming from the bed caused a shiver of pleasure to roll through my spine. "Enjoying the view Josh?" Another growl "Shut up, you're the cause of my full on hardness right now." I chuckled and pulled out a nice pair of blue jean shorts. "Really? I bet I'm also going to be the cause of you getting blue balls." Puling my shorts on I quickly blew Josh a kiss before doing my sexiest walk out of the room. As I closed the door behind me I heard one final frustrated growl.

I walked down the hall and into the main sitting area. The living room was situated right next to the kitchen. Glancing to my left I noticed a very angry looking Alex sitting on my couch. "Where is our type of food? All I see in there is survivor food!" I let out a snort before opening the freeze and pushing a few things out of the way. I pulled out an arm and tossed it to Alex. "When I left here I was human but I did have a few infected friends. They helped me shop for them and keep something here in case they ever got hungry."

Pulling out a hand for myself I walked over to my microwave and through it in. After twenty seconds I pulled it out and took a bite. "Mmmm" Looking up from my meal to Alex I noticed he was staring at his arm. "Where did they get pieces of human to sell?" A blush crossed my face as I looked away. "Uhm... Well... After the intelligent infected started helping us they started to talk about needing food. With a recent rise in criminals... well let's just say if you didn't get jail or make bail they decided you'd just become food. It is a dog eat dog world now so, nobody feels too bad about doing it."

Josh walked into the room wearing one of my gray T-shirts and some blue jeans. Walking over he wrapped his arms around me and took a bite out of my hand that I was eating. I playfully slapped him, "Hey! I was eating that." I pouted and took another bite out of our meal.

About an hour later I found my self at Balboa park waving goodbye to Alex and Josh. Supposedly they were going to do a bit of shopping at the Muni Marketplace. I on the other hand was heading to the new city offices located in the old City College of San Francisco, or that's what the plaque read. It was my duty to report to my superiors now and give a briefing on both my condition and all information I had come arcoss.

Josh and Alex had both given me a reminder in the human language and once again I spoke and understood it perfectly, though infected was so much more... intriguing to me I did understand the importance of speaking English to everyone I knew and to my supervisor.

Stepping onto the second floor I smiled and waved a clawed hand at Julia, the receptionist for the "Politics and Scavenging" section of the offices. "Wolfy! Welcome back... And what long claws you have!" I chuckled and stepped over giving Julia a small hug. I could feel the feral infected in the back of my mind tug towards the human but my affection for the girl kept it at bay.

"Heya Julia, I've missed you, and your wonderful sugar cookies." Her light laugh and light punch was more than the welcome home I'd been hoping for. "Well Wolfy, I'm sure Nelson will want to see you right away to hear all about your adventures. Maybe later you can tell me about being a hunter now."

"Thanks Julia. I'll gladly tell you, and then introduce you to my boyfriend." Noticing the opportune moment to leave her screeching with mock horror, I started walking away.

"Boyfriend! But I thought I was your one true love?"

"You'll always own my heart with your sugar cookies, but sometimes I need a bit more than sugar, if you know what I mean." With one last wink and a wave I left Julia giggling at the front desk.

Smiling from ear to ear I walked past cubicle after cubicle. Coming to the end of the row I was faced with a door. A piece of paper on the wall read " Mayor Nelson." Knocking on the door I awaited to be called in. Vaguely I heard the shuffling of a lot of papers before I finally heard the deep voice of Nelson. "Come in!"

Opening the door I swung in and smiled at Nelson. He hadn't changed much since I last saw him, a large, fluffy, red beard and a shiny bald head. I smiled noticing he was still wearing suspenders and a white undershirt. "Nelson, still trying to bring back civilized clothing into the work place?" The large man smirked and took a seat behind his desk. "Wolfy, welcome back. Still trying to bring rugged looks and wild hair into the work place?" Snorting I closed the door behind me.

Stepping over I took my place sitting across from Nelson. I awaited for my superior to speak first. "You know, you've been gone for almost two months, we didn't expect you back till... well till next winter really." Smiling I folded my hands together and leaned closer to Nelson. " Yeah, well, I didn't expect to end up going back to my hometown and being infected either so both of us have received shocks recently." Nelson's eyebrows raised for a second before taking a second glance at me.

"Ah, I can see it now. Sickly pale skin tone, elongated claws, and extremely dark eyes. How's it feel being a hunter?" I chuckled and leaned back in my chair, glancing Nelson over. "It's fun, can run and jump farther, I can hear the infected talking and understand it, and the only down point is the food source. I kinda just want to go back to eating omelets or something normal."

Nelson slowly shook his head smirking. "Well Wolfy, it's been very busy while you've been gone, do you have anything new to report about your adventures?"

Sitting back in the chair I let myself get comfortable. I was probably going to be here a while. "Well Nelson, we'll start with the freshest news. Reno has fallen and it seems the survivors fled to Sacramento. We probably shouldn't do any business with New Vegas. My partners and I drove through there and it was a hell hole. I'd even suggest spreading word against people going there. There is a human settlement in Nashville based in the Opry Mills Mall. They've just started letting in intelligent infected from what I heard and only allow two in at a time. When we left they were sending a team south down to New Orleans. Some type of expedition or something. You know that camp we kept hearing about in Cincinnati? Filled with criminals and rapists. They enslave infected and humans alike and put them into various services. We were to work in the brothel before we escaped." I gave a small cough here and shook my head, eradicating the memory.

"West Virginia is a no go zone. The few hours we were there before I became infected we were definitely being overwhelmed. It also seems the few survivors there might have gone insane, meaning it is not safe to trust anyone there. Pittsburgh is doing alright but it seems they were planning something. Other than that I've been running across various maps and CEDA intel. Personally I would have thought this to be normal but the increasing abnormality of it strikes me as odd. Every survivor colony seemed to have it, from Pittsburgh to the criminals of Cincinnati."

Nelson's head was resting on his hands when I finished. He seemed lost in thought, possibly organizing this new information. After we sat there for three minutes in silence he spoke up.

"We received a package a few days ago, we had heard from other colonies around the bay that they too had received similar packages. When we opened it we found a folder filled with files labeled 'CEDA.' We didn't think much of them and put them off to the meeting tomorrow to discuss it." Nelson seemed to hesitate for a second. "Wolfy, you used to be an ambassador for us, would you mind joining us tomorrow on The Rock to discuss this package with the rest of the council. If not for New San Francisco, than at least as an adventurer who has seen these documents before?"

I glanced down and focused in on Nelson's desk. I had been wanting to ask for my job back but here was Nelson handing it back to me because of my previous knowledge. I could do this but I'd need Josh, he was the only one that had been in Nashville and he could confirm if he'd seen these files there as well. But then I could just go as an explorer, state my findings, and let them go at it. Then there is always the third option, don't get involved. One was what I would of wanted when I came in here but two was so easy to just get it over with and the third would be the easiest. I heard my voice before I knew my decision myself.

"Nelson, I'll be an ambassador for New San Francisco but I'd like to do it along side my boyfriend, Josh. He was the only one from our group inside the Nashville survivor colony and can confirm if those were the files he seen as well as offer any other information he might have gathered from them."

Nelson nodded and glanced at me up and down. "Wolfy, you've changed a lot, but I can see your logic. He'll be allowed to come. Now go enjoy your day off. Show off some of your souvenirs or something. I'm sure your friends here will love to see you again."

Nodding I stood up and shook Nelson's hand. He waved me off as I turned before walking out of the office an ambassador of New San Francisco, again. I had accomplished my goal but why did I feel dread fill my heart?

Fifteen minutes and a few questions to strangers later and I had found Josh and Alex arguing near the inner circle of the Muni Marketplace. An abandoned trolley yard turned into a place of business. "I was pretty much kidnapped and then threatened to stay with you,why the hell should I continue to put up with you two retards!" Rolling my eyes when ever hearing Alex had become quite normal. "We saved your life and I thought you wanted to travel with us? Why now that we are on the west coast are you so upset?"

As I walked towards them I noticed a few nearby shopkeepers looking quite annoyed at them both. "Alex, Josh, hush up. These poor shopkeepers are trying to do business and all you can do is yell about your own personal problems? Shame on you. Anyway we should probably get out of here. I've been given the go ahead to have a nice day before I restart work. So I thought I'd introduce you two to some of my friends."

Alex's glare couldn't have burnt a hole through my head if he would have tried harder. I was quite resistant to his glares by now. Josh just seemed amused on the other hand. It didn't take much leading around for me to find Jackson. He was standing around one of the old baseball diamonds. I chuckled as I noticed that Jackson was doing his afternoon meditating.

"Afternoon Jackson, your favorite pupil has come back to impress you." I chuckled a little to show the others I was kidding and I wasn't really his favorite. Jackson's deep sigh and easy chuckle told me I was forgiven for interrupting him. "So young Wolfy, what brings you back to this place?" Jackson was wearing a black hoodie with black jeans. He had been my mentor and taught me parkour as well as how the hunters moved and thought.

"Actually, if you open your eyes and look up you might find out why." Jackson's chuckle at my light prodding let me relax fully knowing he wouldn't attack for any of the other previous pranks I might have pulled before hastily hitting the road out of town. I waited excitedly as Jackson looked up and pulled down his hood. Grinning I gave him a large smile showing my sharpened teeth and waved my claws at him.

Jackson raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head. "Wolfy, I knew you always adored hunters but I never thought you'd become one. Personally I thought you'd become a boomer." Behind me I vaguely heard Josh and Alex whispering about some quick bet that had just happened. I rolled my eyes and turned toward them. "What ever the prize was, I get it and you are both in such hot water."

Turning back to Jackson I noticed his inquisitive look. "The guy behind me on my right is Josh, he's my boyfriend and on the left is Alex and he's grossed out that I just admitted that to someone whom he doesn't know or think I know." Turning around and stepping to the right I waved toward Jackson. "Josh, Alex, meet my mentor, Jackson."

When introductions were done I quickly invited Jackson out with the three of us to the local bar for a night on the town. After that my memory becomes hazy as to what happened, but one thing was for sure, Alex and Jackson became quick friends. After arriving at my home we all of waved Jackson a good night before stumbling our ways to our room. Unless you're Alex then you drunk a little too much alcohol and for some reason stumbled into Josh's and I's room.

The last thing I remember was Alex was lying on the floor talking about some weird riddle he had once heard and Josh was letting me cuddle into his chest. Man I missed this city.

**Author's Note**

Been a while since I posted a chapter. Sadly University took a lot out of me, mostly my creativity. I was working on a Team Fortress 2 level design competition. I didn't exactly make it past the initial " here are all the entries" but according to the forums it's an achievement I submitted anything.

As for this story I still plan for there to be, around, 9 chapters left. During the time while I was away I extended my backstory on the world and now know much more about major cities in the US and around the world and know their fate as well as started compiling lists of friends, how the character and readers met them. I also now know more about the plot line than I had when I bravely admitted this was going to be the third and final story arc. For this finale I hope to wrap a lot of story lines up and finish fleshing out characters I have only briefly interacted with till now.

I hope to not keep you waiting too long and finish this story before people lose interest.


	21. Wine on the Rocks

Those movies, where they wake up with a headache after the party, they're all fucking liars. If a headache is like having your head beat to a bloody pulp than sure they're quite on the spot. Cracking an eye open I was quickly reminded of how brilliant it was living in the foggy city. Instead of waking to a blinding sun I found myself looking into a a dull gray light.

Leaning up I could see the fog covering everything. Nudging Josh I decided we both needed a shower before heading to the boat. I looking down I realized I was in a pair of white boxers while Josh was wearing nothing. Shaking my head I pushed him off the bed. The small yelp and groan were like music to my ears.

Then there was a scream from that side of the room. " Oh my god! Get him off me! Oh my god he's fucking naked!" I chocked at the laughter that wanted to pour out of my mouth. Guess that means Josh found Alex. "I'm so sorry Alex, I didn't mean to!" "Get off me then! And put some underwear on! I can feel that disgusting thing pressing into my leg... Oh god it got harder you sick freak!"

Rolling my eyes I stepped around the bed and grabbed Josh by the back of the neck. "Come on Josh, need to get you clean before our trip to the rock. Besides, I'm sure Alex needs to relieve the tension in his underwear now." Snickering at Alex's cries of indignation I pulled Josh behind me into the bathroom. Closing the door behind me didn't stop us from hearing one last yell about my nerves from the smoker.

Chuckling I pushed Josh toward the shower as checked myself in the mirror. Looking back at me was definitely a wild man who hadn't shaven his light beard or had a haircut in a while. "Josh, after we're done you should definitely cut my hair a bit. Make it look presentable." Josh's grunt was the most he answered me. Looking into my eyes I found two dull orbs that were a sickly white and my skin had become a gray color. Pulling off my boxers I let out a chuckle when I realized everything was that color now.

The turn of a knob and the sound of water falling behind me told me that Josh had finally found the knobs. "Hey Josh, didn't realize that being infected would change 'everything.'" I turned my heard toward him and wiggled my eyebrows. Josh rolled his eyes and shook his head before picking up the soap I'd left in the shower. Josh started washing his chest before replying simply with,"What ever you say Wolfy."

Since Nashville, Josh and I had become quite close and his silent exterior and attitude had melted away. Living together had only sped up the process.

Leaning against the sink I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. Before I would have thought it was a fling, or maybe even a hero thing since he had saved me numerous times. Now? I chuckled softly at the thought. Now I was in love with him and he seemed to be in love with me.

Shaking my head I strode forward and wrapped my arms around Josh. Rubbing my claws gently against his nipples I used them as leverage to pull myself flush against him. Leaning down I nibbled on his ear, watching my sharp teeth so that I didn't cause him to bleed. "Ya know Josh,if all goes right today, we might be able to finally have some alone time to go to the next level." I felt Josh hum in approval but I knew he wasn't paying attention to my words, only my actions.

I stopped rubbing his nipples and slowly rubbed my semi hardness again his rear. My hand trailed slowly down his chest onto his thigh. Giving them a small squeeze I continued moving down and grasped his desire. Josh leaned back into me, exposing his throat in the process. Letting out a breathless chuckled I leaned down to his ear. "You'll get what you want... just not now." And with that I let go and stepped out of the shower. Quickly I grabbed a towel and headed back to our bedroom.

As I reached the safety of our room, now with less Alex, I decided to get dressed in my most official clothing. Today was a big day, not only was I seeing the various settlements again but we were going to be looking over the "CEDA" case. Something that had been bothering me since Pittsburgh.

Two hours later found me in a navy blue suit with red undershirt standing at the old ferry terminal. Josh was wearing a black dress shirt with dress slacks. My favorite part though was his skull tie. I rolled my eyes at how skater he was being. "It's weird no longer acting like most infected. I remember finding you and you just hopped around like every other hunter, now look at your Josh. You're standing there in a dress shirt without a lick of blood on you." Josh chuckled and shook his head. Much like back when I had just been infected, Josh turned silently serious and gazed out at the bay.

"Wolfy, you know this isn't going to go well any way you look at it. No matter what we find out, we already know these maps are being spread about and the reason can't be good." Josh turned and looked into my eyes. "Even worse is that I know you'll want to chase what ever the hell it is down."

I glanced away and looked towards the ground. I was suddenly starting to hate how easy it must be for him to predict what I'll do. Even more when we both know I'll still do it. Looking up from the ground I cast my gaze upon the remnants of San Francisco and the mighty bay area.

Josh and I remained silent after the boat arrived to take us to Alcatraz. After docking we were greeted by Nelson. "Good morning Wolfy." I grinned and shook his hand. "Good morning Nelson, may I introduce you to my lover Josh. He's the one I spoke about yesterday."Nelson nodded and reached his hand toward Josh. I watched cautiously as Josh took the accepted hand and nodded, remaining silent like his old self again.

Nelson smiled and turned around leading the way. "While you've been gone various trade agreements have come and gone as supplies has been changing hands rapidly. Remember Napa Valley? A few weeks ago they were hit by some raiders that ended up triggering a horde. From what we've heard, any survivors were taken to a slave camp way up north. Security was increased at Vallerjo. Also a new colony has joined us from Sonoma, they were already in an increased security before the attack but from what we've heard, they've been working on upping it even more."

We passed under a few old arches from ancient stairways as Nelson kept talking. "We've also moved meetings into the warden's house, which we rebuilt. We needed a place that wasn't an old cafeteria so we rebuilt the warden's house using supplies from each of the colonies." Nelson continued explaining how each colony gave something to make it possible and how it brought them together. We reached the warden's house a few minutes later when he was starting to explain that before the attack Napa had even given us a bottom of wine as their gift to commemorate the final structure.

We entered the white structure to find most of the colonies sitting around what was pretty much a dinner table. A few looked up to see whom entered and to my joy I recognized most of them. Vallerjo seemed to have just been reading a file when we walked in. As soon as he caught sight of me he let out a deep chuckle.

"Well look what the dogs dragged in, it's New San Fran!" Chuckling I waved him off. " Yeah but I'm here to discuss business not politics, though I hear Nelson did a good job taking over for me." Vallerjo continued to chuckle and waved to the seat next to him. Stepping around the table I took a seat next to him while Josh sat next to me. After that a few more colonies I'd made good with welcomed me back as well.

After getting my papers in order I put on my political face and awaited Nelson to start. Catching my eye I nodded at Nelson, he returned the nod and slammed his gavel down. "Alright, calm down everybody and let's get to work. First off I'd like to welcome New San Francisco back. He's been away adventuring across the US trying to find us some new contacts and in his place I've tried my best to voice New San Fran's opinions. Now that we have that out of the way let's turn to article 17 section 18. Last time we met there were reports of various colonies receiving papers with CEDA markings. Is there anything new to report?"

Vallerjo stood up next to me. "We finally received the packet yesterday. From what we can tell our papers are telling us there is some weapon being kept in the south."

Sunnyvale quickly stood up "That's interesting Vallerjo, our researchers have been going over the data we collected and we seem to have coordinates for something off the coast of New Orleans."

I felt a arm brush against me as Josh stood up ."Hello, I'm Josh. I'm an adventurer and was inside a colony near Nashville. They too had papers but theirs declared there was a supplies shelter in New Orleans. They were sending an expedition to see if those claims were true."

Nodding I stood up next to Josh holding my folder. I pulled out a photo of what looked like the French Quarter. "It seems we too have evidence that there is something going on in New Orleans. I also know that CEDA was isolating small towns and using them for research before killing off survivors. My own home town was used for those experiments. Files I found there indicated the infection might have been started via some company working on some new wonder drug. There is even a paper that seemed to insinuate that CEDA has been around in the background just in case a rouge virus did escape. Unfortunately the one thing our files have on New Orleans is that it was to be one of the East Coasts final holding points."

Nelson banged his gavel to get our attention. "So compiling what I've heard so far it seems like these papers are pointing to something in New Orleans. Now we need to decide if we risk an expedition to go find out what or if we just ignore it and move on to bigger issues closer to home." Josh, Vallerjo, Sunnyvale, and I all retook our seats as we awaited discussions and voting.

An hour later Josh and I were on a boat moving away from the Rock. We were leaning against the railing as the boat moved further into the harbor. "So Wolfy, close call on the vote. Six out of the eight delegates. I'm amazed Nelson pushed on with the expedition after such a close call."

I let out a chuckle and turned to Josh. "Yeah but Nelson wants to get to the bottom of this. I have no doubt he would have sent a team even if they decided not to." Josh turned around and leaned back against the railing. "Why do you think Nelson is so interested in some old CEDA papers?"

Sighing I glanced down at the floor before leaning back against the railing as well. "Well for one it's weird everyone has been getting these papers, but then there is the fact that violent criminals have gotten a hold of these papers. If there is one thing Nelson doesn't want it's those whom have less than civil intentions getting hold of a nuclear device left over. Mostly because New San Francisco has also made a few enemies with colonies like that who have no objections of wiping out a few thousand people to get revenge on two or three."

Josh glanced at me with a smirk. "Only two or three? Jesus who did you piss off?" I chuckled before averting my eyes. "Uhm, I slaughtered a camp of slavers and then 'stole' their merchandise. Freed an innocent young smoker but pissed off a boat load of people. Last I knew the kid was in Vallerjo with a good family."

I could feel the tension in the air as soon as I had finished speaking. After a few minutes Josh sighed heavily and turned so that I couldn't see his face. "You really don't know how to just let things be do you?" When Josh turned back to me I put on a huge grin. "Nope and you love me for it." Josh rolled his eyes and leaned in. A soft kiss was left on my forehead before he went back to looking at the bay. We stood there in silence for about ten minutes before Josh spoke up again.

"So let me guess, we should start emptying the bus?" Chuckling I turned away from Josh and started heading toward the front of the boat. Might as well see how close we are to land as well as let that sit with Josh for a few.

It turned out we were closer to land than I had thought and after we stepped onto land we went straight to the bus and started unloading it. Nelson hadn't created the wonder team yet but I already had a feeling I was the lead adventurer. We finally finished three hours after starting and had only killed about a dozen zombies to do it. Josh and I were now lying on the couch back at my place.

Inhaling deeply I took in his unique smell of sweat, infection, and a just a bit of grease. Nuzzling closer I smiled into his shirt. My mind was a million places at once but overall I felt relaxed. I don't know how but in the back of my mind I felt like something was almost over, it felt like ever since meeting Josh my life had been on a roller coaster and the ride was slowing down.

Vaguely I heard footsteps enter and exit the room but I no longer really cared. In a day or two Nelson would send out the expedition and we would be back on the road with a group of people heading for New Orleans. I myself was pretty done with traveling. At one time this would have been my dream but now with Josh I was ready to settle down, if only for a little while.

Curling up into Josh again I yawned, it couldn't hurt to just lay her and sleep for a little while could it? As my eyes finally closed that large gap between open and closed I heard a small snore come from Josh. Smiling I fell into a deep sleep next to him.

**Author's Note**

****Three months this chapter has been bothering me. The ending just didn't want to come out so I'm sorry if it feels weaker than past chapters. I've started pushing forward with the last leg now, everything that was planted back in Pittsburgh is now coming full circle.

When I first started writing this two years ago it was just me writing a road trip story and seeing where it went. No plan, no plot, nothing. Then I started seeing themes and plot points and I figured out where I wanted to go and have slowly been building up the hints and tips that something was going on. Even now I have no idea what is coming next but what I do know is that I'd like to finish this before this story goes on three years old.

So thank you to those of you who started with me back in 2010, it's been a wild ride and it blows me away to still see so many people reading this story. I hope I don't disappoint any of you with the next 8 chapters.


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